In January 2013, I started this new hobby for the year, but I didn’t finish it. I actually found this idea online somewhere (probably Pinterest, to be honest…). The hobby was, you write down a memory for each day of the year and put it in a box.
I’m bringing this hobby back because I’ve had a bad 2017. So I encourage you to do it too!
Here’s what you do.
Get a box/jar/cannister – anything that can hold a bunch of folded pieces of paper. I used an old index card box from my office and label it.
I labeled the box “What Made Me Smile in 2018” so I can focus on the positives.
Then, you get a pen and a stack of Post-Its or a notepad to write down one memory for each day of the year.
Preferably, you want to write memories that make you smile, but for days you can’t think of one, you can just write something positive or good that happened.
You could even write something negative or bad, too. If you write a not-so-happy memory, it can remind you of the pain that eventually made you stronger. Or, you can use that memory to help remind you that with the good, there is also the bad in our lives but you still survived the year.
I couldn’t think of anything that made me really smile today, Jan. 2. So, I simply wrote something I was proud of doing instead.
It’s basically like a manual Pensieve from Harry Potter, but instead of visual memories, you have written ones.
I folded each paper up and dated the outside of them. Then, I dropped them in my memory box. I have square-shaped paper, so I’m going to try and make origami out of my memories too.
And here they are~
Toss in your pens and notepad/Post-Its you’ll use for this activity so you have easy access to them. If your box (or whatever you’re using to hold your memories) is too small to hold anything else besides folded paper, then leave them nearby.
I chose a bigger box because I am a klutzy person who just loses everything.
Keep your memory box somewhere you can remember to fill it out. I’m leaving mine on my home office desk.
My 2018 memory box will be tucked in this area of my desk, protected by Sailor Jupiter, Zooey Deschanel, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
And then you do it again the next day. And the day after that. And the day after that. Basically, if you don’t get the gist by now, just remember to keep writing memories throughout the year!
If you’re not a writer or hate writing things out, get creative! Take Polaroids or snap pictures with your phone and print them. And basically, do the same thing – Date the picture and toss it in the box. If you want to write a caption for them, go for it!
It’s so much simpler than writing out a whole two-paragraph entry in a journal if that’s not your style.
Let it be fun for you, though!
The whole point of this memory-keeping process is to remember the 2018 you had. Good or bad, it’s nice to reflect on the year. It also would be motivating for you to make something memorable to happen each day. It doesn’t have to be something too big, like skydiving or planning an impromptu trip to Macau or something. Keep it simple and keep it fun!
Then, at the end of 2018, you can read all the memories that made you smile, made you laugh, made you cry, etc. Make it even more entertaining and encourage your friends and family to do this, too. So at the annual New Year’s Eve party, you all can pick out three things to look back on.
If you prefer to do this alone, that’s okay, too! Because honestly, I’m doing this on my own to help me keep 2018 positive and great~
Happy New Year, new followers. Hope 2018 is great.
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