Dear Sunshine,
Let me tell you a little story—about something I once loved deeply, and then let go.
Once, I had a diary. Not just any notebook—but one scattered with scribbles, messy handwriting, and emotions that didn’t always make sense. It was a safe place—my secret keeper. A quiet friend that never interrupted, never judged. It simply waited… for my pen, for my thoughts, for my heart. It was where I poured my thoughts, my laughter, my worries, and my dreams. It saw me at my best, and stayed close when I was falling apart.
That diary knew me better than anyone. It was there when I was happy—when I excitedly poured out every little thing that brought me joy. It was there when I was angry, when I just wanted to scream into the pages. It held my tears—of frustration, of heartbreak, of pure overwhelming happiness. Sometimes I’d only write a single line, sometimes I’d tear the page out. Other times, I’d fill an entire spread with my name, with random doodles, or with dreams I was too afraid to say aloud.
That diary held the pieces of me I didn’t know how to speak out loud. It kept my secrets, my wild ideas, my fears. It listened when no one else did. It was my escape. My safe space. It witnessed everything—my growth, my setbacks, my tiny victories. From using it as a daily journal to turning it into a mood tracker, a calendar, or just a space to vent—it adapted with me. That diary saw me at my lowest and still held space for my highest hopes. I trusted it with the parts of me I couldn’t share with the world. My desires, my fears, my secrets. It carried the weight of my unspoken words.
And then, one day, I burned it.
Not out of anger, or regret—but because those pages had done their part. Because those pages were too sacred. Too full of unspoken truth. They carried me through storms. They helped me release what was too heavy to hold inside. And maybe, just maybe, I felt like those words were too sacred to ever be found. Some feelings are meant to be experienced, not preserved. Some chapters are meant to be closed in quiet. It felt like the only way to protect what was inside—to keep it between just me and the silence.
Sunshine, sometimes we have to let go of things that carried us through. We outgrow parts of ourselves, but we never really leave them behind. That diary—those pages—they helped me heal. They helped me grow. And even though the paper is gone, everything it held is still within me.
Sunshine—know this: even though the pages turned to ash, the healing stayed. The growth stayed. What that diary gave me will always be a part of me.
Also Read: I HOPE YOU CELEBRATE LITTLE JOYS OF LIFE – #BLOGCHATTERA2Z #ATOZCHALLENGE
So if you ever feel the weight of your thoughts, if your heart is brimming, if ever you feel like the world is too loud and your heart too full and you don’t know where to begin—write. Write like no one’s going to read it. Pour it out. Let it be messy, emotional, silly, or poetic. Let your heart speak. Not everything needs to be shared with the world. Some things are just meant to be whispered to the pages and held close by the heart.
And if the time ever comes when you need to let go—do that too. Not out of fear, but with love. Do it with love. With gratitude. Because healing doesn’t always look like keeping things—it sometimes looks like releasing them. Sometimes, it means making space for new stories. And no matter what—never forget: some of the most beautiful parts of us are born in the quiet, between ink and silence.
Always,
–Love
I used to write dairy when I was in college. It had everything about my new crushes, friendship fights.. Unfortunately, I lost it and I wonder who all might have read it :D Great post Vidhya!
Diary is where almost all of us started. Diary took in everything we wrote, as a kid. The diary ahs kept my childhood safe. Thank you, dear diary. Great Post!
Writing a diary is what kept me from crumbling down after I lost my mother. You have written a beautiful letter. I only wish that the diary stayed and was not burnt.
Hehe thank youuu! I have few diaries in which i wrote poems.
Share some of your poems if you like !! I will be glad to read those writings. 😌
Nice gesture to recognize diary’s importance and to write a letter to it too
Great post Vidhya, reminded me of my teenage, when i started maintaining a daily diary, I still do :)
How much I miss writing diary. Lovely memories. I wish I can do it again. Great post.
Writing a diary is a special experience though I have never tried it out myself. Sooner or later a diary becomes a close friend playing the role of a confidante and a guide. When you tell a diary your innermost thoughts and feelings and you read the stuff back the diary actually replies to you as reading what you have written makes you reflect. This way a diary becomes a friend who speaks back when spoken to. And there is nothing like an actual diary. None of these modern electronic diaries can ever replace the one made of paper.
Maintaining a diary is a good habit. Eventually one can learn to clearly express their inner feelings and doubts in the privacy of their diary pages. Many a time reading a diary, though it is strictly against privacy, gives an idea about mental state of the writer. It is kind of like modern day blogging, or Facebook page. Only difference between diary is strictly for the owner, unless he / she decides to share.
Such an interesting read this is
thankkkk youuu
Lovely article!!!!
thankk youuuu
That’s lovely letter to your diary. There was a time when I used to write a diary back when I was a teenager. Just like you I used to write every little thing in the diary and I destroyed the pages when what I’d written was supposed to be a secret. This post of yours brought back memories.
thankk youuu
Lovely post, enjoyed reading!
Thank youu
I still have my diary from school days where I scribble my heart out.
thankk youu
I had a very funny experience about maintaining a diary, In first year of hostel I started keeping a diary and wrote about laziness of my roommate in detail, and in my absence she read it all… OMG… you must have understood what followed.
awww thankk youuu
I have kept a “journal” as I call it, since 1989. It holds my heart as I often tell others. I love how it helps me connect the dots of God’s faithfulness to me through the years. So often we miss it because we forget the secrets we whispered in prayer to Him. But through journaling He has often shown me the connection which causes me to love and praise Him all the more. His faithfulness is astounding.
Thanks for this great post revealing what a diary means to so many of us.
Blessings,
Debi
So true!! Thank youuu
That’s the ticket to keeping things secret. Burn after reading.
hehe yess
That’s a very nice letter you have written Vidhya. Diaries are so personal. I never had that personal space to maintain a diary and never got into the habit later on. I am sure it is very therapeutic to put everything down on paper.
Writing a diary is such a good habit. I used to do this when in school and college. Though now the frequency has reduced. I remember I had one with a cute little lock and key. Trust me it does hold a lot many secrets.
Lovely letter! Great that you find solace in pouring out all your emotions in your diary. Hope you have kept your dairy also alive.
Before blogging and digital things came into existence, dairy was best friend to so many. Nice post.
Journaling/writing diary is a great healing tool apart from being a great listener and an awesome friend. And you have expressed all of this and more so beautifully in ur post…
thank youu
I used to write a diary in my school and college days. I have a special diary for my favourite songs. I wrote the lyrics and then practised it. At that time I remembered the lyrics of all my favourite songs. Memories refreshed.
In today’s digital time your post reminded me of my locked diary days. I use to chat, share, talk to my diary but sadly slowly my sophisticated nomadic life left me with lost diaries and I stopped. Your post bought memories of this beautiful hobby which is losing craze & charm.
heheh true! I still have a lock diary
What a perfect way to have a secret keeper.
thankkk yoouuu
This is all.of us ever!
YESSSSSSS
I have always been someone, that despite being someone who came across as an extrovert, I was often aloof and had a lot of emotions bottled within me. It was then that I retorted to a diary. Not much has changed, just that the emotional baggage has lightened up. thanks to my habit of keeping a diary. I have improved a lot on my coping mechanism.
I am the same. when it comes to expressing myself, I always go back to my diary
Would you believe if I say, diary never loved me back the way I loved it? I have tried maintaining a diary many times, but the next time it will be in shreds for sounding so bizarre. Phew…
Hahaha happened with me too many times
Hey,
I wish I would have a same relationship with my diary too, like you have with yours ! First time visited this blog and in love with this.
Thank you!