Dear diary

These two words could keep us company every day for a year: keeping a diary is a genuinely positive practice.

How often have we been asked about THE BEST OF YOU, WHERE DOES YOUR MASTERPIECE APPEAR IN LIFE?, WHAT DO YOU WANT?, WHAT IS YOUR ESSENCE?, WHAT DEFINES YOU?

At first they seem like easy questions, but once someone asks them and you start to reflect, you may find it isn’t so simple to identify what describes you, who you are, or who you are being.

Not long ago a friend of mine went to the bank. The clerk helping her open an account asked her a question:

“And what are you?”

My friend hesitated; it’s not a question we face every day.

“Well, I…”

“Are you self-employed? I can see from your account history that you have been at some point.”

“No, I’m not,” my friend replied.

“Are you employed by a company?”

“No, not that either.”

“Then are you a homemaker?”

“No, I’m not a homemaker.”

I imagine that at that very moment the clerk wanted to grab my friend by the collar to make her answer once and for all. In the end he settled on another option, “family dependant”, which in no way described what my friend feels she is being right now.

Perhaps it isn’t the best example, since for banks the definition of who we are comes down to the economic value of how we spend our time.

Some years ago, our professions may have reflected more closely what we felt we were; for some time now, that no longer seems entirely true.

I invite you to write about your life, whether as a biography, a diary or even a photo-biography. It can help you become more aware of your daily life, notice which things you give most importance to, and see how you interpret what happens to you. And if you would also like your life to feel more positive, it would be good to write about the events you have found truly enjoyable and enriching — the ones that help you feel more at ease with yourself and with the people around you.