Infinite Ink

Collecting Quotes, and more

I have decided, instead of quoting more quotes, I'll tell you what I do with them. I have three small diaries. One of them is a pink one that originally had a little flimsy lock and an even more fragile key, which I (predictably) misplaced. I broke the lock on the diary and it has been unlocked ever since. It's just an autograph diary, with lovable sentiments preserved in its pages.

The second diary is a blue one with a removable plastic protector (therefore, it's the cleanest). It's my quote collection. I stopped writing down quotes in it years ago, but I still go through it from time to time. The first page has the famous "it was the best of times, it was the worst of times" line (rather, paragraph) from "A Tale of Two Cities". This quote is the neatest and most carefully written one. The writing gets messier and more careless the further you progress in the diary.

The third diary is a white one that my father gave me in tumultuous times. I proceeded to fill it up with real life anecdotes regarding my family. If it ever turns into the next "My Family and Other Animals", I'll tell you.

I also have some big diaries. One of them is a "slam book" (I have no idea why we schoolgirls called it a "slam" book, so don't ask me why) filled with questions that have been answered by my willing school friends. I think I'll have to write a separate post about this one someday. Another big diary is my dua (supplication) book. It's the most recent addition to my diary collection. I do have Fortress of the Muslim and Beautiful Supplications of the Beloved Prophet (peace be upon him), but I wanted to write down the supplications covered in The Daily Reminder's Dua Revival Series by Majed Mahmoud. (You can find it here: sound only on Soundcloud https://soundcloud.com/thedailyreminder/sets/dua-revival and video on Vimeo https://vimeo.com/album/2985216). I actually feel the duas when I supplicate because I've listened to their background and explanation in detail.

I think keeping diaries is a nice, productive and constructive activity. It's an interesting experience to go through them years after you originally wrote in them. You find an earlier version of yourself preserved in the pages.

Do you keep a diary (or several)? Next post I'll be talking about things less tangible than ink and paper.