As of late, I have kept my journal in my handbag so I can utilize the times I actually do get a seat on the subway to write.
This
afternoon provided a great opportunity to spend my time from 4th Avenue
to Broadway/Lafayette putting my thoughts on paper - and as I made my
way into Manhattan, the gentleman sitting next to me said, "Do you mind
my asking what your opinion is on the difference between a journal and a
diary?"
I actually had to take a moment. That was not a question I had ever been asked before.
My
first instinct was to think of my Hello Kitty diary that had a lock and
key when I was in the first grade. I remember fondly tucking away my
"deepest secrets" in that little book ... it had a very special pen that
came with it, and I always found it interesting that at the top of each
page was a place to jot down the status of the weather.
Writing in a journal seemed far more "grown up" than those days long ago.
What was interesting was the gentleman's take - a journal, to him, was more analytical; a diary, more private and personal.
More
importantly, that sweet gentleman said, "I must tell you I am glad to
see you putting your thoughts on paper; people just don't write things
down anymore. We type. We e-mail. We blog. But no one actually
writes by hand.
I always loved writing long letters ... but now people just e-mail.
There will come a point when people do not know how to actually write
things down with a pen and paper. How sad is that? I've always felt that
the ink is just an extension of who we are.
There is nothing more personal than handwriting your thoughts."
When I got home, I asked Jim his opinion about this new quandry: diary vs. journal - and his reaction was the
exact opposite. A journal was about the introspective process we go
through on our personal journey; a diary, a written account of the
day-to-day.
So it begs the question, do you write your
thoughts down in a diary or journal? And if so, what is the difference
between the two in your opinion?
xx JN
