So I started keeping a diary in second grade. It measured around 7 cm in height and 5 cm in width (not sure of the measurements, it’s just an estimate😁). I wasn’t sure what to do with it, so I used it as a personal jotter. I got it as a reward during a spelling competition organized in our school. It was a very tiny book.
When I started using diaries again
After junior high school, I was bored at home, so I resorted to watching seasonal movies. The Vampire Diaries was one of them. It was about two best friends. One was in a coma and would not wake until the other died. The best friend who was alive kept a diary of everything that happened so that when she died and her best friend awoke, she would know all that had happened. This isn’t the only part where diaries were used in the movie. Stefan Salvatore, one of the main characters, used a diary to record his memories and struggles as a vampire. It’s a nice movie, you should watch it if you already haven’t.
I am someone who has always loved writing. Sometimes I write stories, poems (even though I’m not very good at it 😂), and anything else that comes to mind. So I saw keeping a diary as a good opportunity to do what I love.
When it was time for me to go to senior high school, I bought a diary. I made up my mind to write everything that happened in school, inside it.
Taking precautions
Of course, I wasn’t going to write my precious memories in plain text for fear of someone else reading them.
One reason people avoid writing in diaries is because they worry their secrets will be revealed. Yes, it’s awkward when a friend picks up your diary and discovers your secrets. As a result, I decided to take some precautions. I knew my diary could go missing, and I didn’t want any stranger to read my sensitive information.
After careful consideration, I decided to encrypt it. That’s the only way to keep someone from reading, even if they steal your diary. After careful consideration, I decided to learn the PigPen cypher. This cypher is very easy to memorize as each letter is replaced by a symbol. After learning it for a few days, I decided to use it in my diary.
My first diary entry
So, after learning the PigPen cypher, I never tried it in my diary. I wanted to become comfortable with it before writing in my diary. I did not want to make it dirty by cancelling all the time. The first time I made an entry was on January 6th, 2020. That was the second day after I went to school. I was too tired to write on the 5th, so I decided to write the next day. I didn’t write anything sensible the first day; I was itching to start using my diary. One good advantage of the PigPen cypher is that you can always change the pattern of the letters. If you use the cheat sheet above, you won’t be able to decode all the letters.
Wrapping up
I think having a diary is very useful. There are many advantages to using it. It helps to improve your memory. Imagine reading your childhood diary when you are grown up (that feeling you get😊).
If you don’t have one, it would be a great idea to get one and start writing. Who knows, you could become the next Anne Frank.