Old Journals [or, just how crazy of a teenager were you?]

I feel that planning and journaling go hand in hand - and that they are both awesome. Because they are. One helps you get things done, one helps you regroup and settle. Or both do that.
Probably both on all counts.

Also, other bits and bobs of growing up I cannot bear to get rid of.

One thing I've seen recently, though, is people finding old journals of theirs. 

First I think "wow, that's great," because a journal is like a better scrapbook (it has all the nitty gritty stuff, right?).
Second I think "wow, where do you keep all of those," because some people have a ton. And over the years that can turn into a lot of books and papers.
Third I think "wow, what made you get those out and share," because I would never ever share old journals with anyone. Heck, I wouldn't share new journals with anyone. I know what was in my old journals, and that is not stuff I would share with people - that's why it's in a journal.
Fourth, I think "wow, I wish I hadn't of chucked all of mine."

And then I'm sad.
Because that's what happened. I had a plastic bin of journals and writings and doodles and things from high school and beyond. And then I threw it all out a few years back, and haven't really kept much of any journaling since then.
And I kick myself in the throat every time I think of it (also, don't try that at home).

I had a lot of papers. They weren't all great papers, sure, because high school, but they would be fantastic to have. Heck, they were fantastic to have. And then I had the idea that that time of my life had passed, and I wouldn't really want to look back on it - which I don't.

Which is why it's confusing.
I don't wish I had them because other people have theirs.
I don't wish I had them because of good memories, because that is not what was in them.
I don't wish I had them because it would be fun (or funny) to read them.

I wish I had them because of the writing style. And the thoughts that parallel thoughts that I have now. And the crazy ideas I had (like how I tried planning out buying a VW bus to drive around the country after graduation, though I had no way of getting a driver's license).

While a lot of the things are easy enough to remember, there are a ton of details that I simply don't have stored in my head anymore.
And having all those notes and bits would be kind of cool.

It's super messy, but so is the rest of this closet, as I haven't sorted out what all needs to go in here yet!

So I've started the collection again. It's in the closet. And while all it may have is my moleskine from last year, and a bunch of planner pages, it's a start.
And maybe it won't all get chucked, and in about ten years I can still have it to be able to look back on it all.

Do you hold on to all of your old journaling bits? Have you ever had the brilliant idea of chucking any of it?

~Havok

P.S. I've a new journaling system that I will be sharing shortly. It's fantastic and will make referencing it later easy-peasy. Think: a journal and a commonplace book had a baby, and it turned out beautiful.