English 1101 Tr - Journaling Through Time

Shelby McBrayer

Dr. Giles

English 1101 TR

September 24, 2015

Journaling Through Time

About a year ago, I was rummaging through my old room at my parents’ house for my high school book bag to use while I was attending college. However, to my surprise I found something much older and more significant than just an old book bag. I had stumbled upon a piece of my childhood. I had found my old journal from when I was in elementary school. To be quite honest, I never really realized how much I had missed my childhood journal until I could not find the keys to unlock it. Due to the fact that the little bright pink, Tweety Bird journal was almost in perfect condition, I did not want to tamper with the lock. So there I was, just standing there trying to figure out a way to unlock the memories I had long forgotten. However, my curiousness got the best of me and I made a conscious decision to bust the lock open by pulling on the covers of the journal until the lock freed.  I then decided to put my search for my book bag on hold for a while because as soon as I opened the pages, I knew I had to keep reading.

My first entry explained that I was eight years old and that I had recently fell out of the attic at my grandparents’ house and broke my back. After I broke my back I was placed in a back brace that I had to wear for nearly four months. My hobbies during that time period were obviously limited, so I spent a lot of time reading books, watching movies, and drawing. My mama thought it would be a good idea to get me a gift to help cheer me up. I remember her coming home with a little pinkish purple wrapped box with an oversized bow. I would beg her, “Will you pretty please tell me what is inside, Mama, please?” After she saw that all my patience had left me she said, “Alright baby, you can open your gift now.” I tore the wrapping paper off of my surprise, looked inside, and saw one of my favorite cartoon characters, Tweety Bird, on the cover. I thanked my mama countless amounts of times and headed off to my room to get started writing.  Towards the beginning of the journal, I could tell that I was still a little unsure of how to actually keep up with a journal. Somewhere around the middle of journal I got more comfortable with my writing because I realized that I would be the only one reading my journal. After that, I stopped writing just regular day-to-day entries and started adding in poems, photos, drawing, memorabilia, and letters to myself in the future. Although I love all my early thoughts, the letters to myself that I had wrote so long ago, amazed me.         

        As a child, being the baby of the family with an older brother and older cousins who never went to college, I stated in one of the letters to myself that, “No matter what anyone else does around you, you have to get into college and make something of yourself by doing something that you love.” That statement was wrote by the ten year old me, and that amazes me more now because I am currently in college trying to make something of myself by following my dreams of becoming a botanist. At that point in time, I realized that reading these entries not only helped me remember my past time, but also showed me how much I have grown as an individual in the past decade. Shortly after that I decided that it was time for me start writing again in order for me to keep recording my goals as well as my accomplishments.