Thirty six years ago today I begin keeping a journal. I did not keep it up my entire life, from age 9 in 1989 to age 12 in 1992. And then started my diary in April 1997 and went through 2003. Then my Xanga blog was a stand in for my diary from 2003 to 2013. Then I started journaling in a private text file. It’s not as intimate as actually writing stuff down but it’s easier.