What to do with all my diaries...
 

It's about time for me to start cleaning up and clearing out--but just don't know what to do with my many years' worth of diaries. I suppose I should just toss them because my kids don't seem interested. My only hesitation is that maybe someday my grandchildren would feel differently. Although many of the entries related to my everyday activities--such as school events, dating, family problems, I also included my opinions of what was going in the world--politics, fashion, religion, trends, etc. I thought I would put this question out there to see if anyone has any solutions or suggestions. Thank you!

Toss them.

Many ideas here....
what to do with old diaries - Bing

#13. Like #6, put a file in it and take it to Coleman.



:icon_wink:

Samuel Pepys gave us the fabric of his time by his diary --it worked out well for him and historians.

My father kept a daily diary for 15 years (when I was a kid) until his death. Eventually (when I retired) I scanned all the pages so I have them electronically, and I read them. It was interesting to see his view of me as a child. Also, major events in his life (death of a close friend, him seeing a friend weekly after that person's stroke) that he did not discuss with me as a kid. The relationship with his wife (my mother) change over time. I now see something in the news about a past event and will look up what he thought of that event. In my case he typed his diary so I was able to scan them and turn them into searchable Word documents.

So I suggest you save them by scanning them (or you re-type them so there is no issue of reading your handwriting). You can then email the documents to your kids and grandkids to save on their computers. Someday one or more of them will read them and enjoy the story of your life. I have also started a diary, typed, which I will pass onto my kids and grandkids (unfortunately after my kids were grown). Scanning is easy, I purchased the cheapest scanner/printer, about $30 at Walmart. Most computer systems have a scanning software built in, but the printer/scanner came with its own. Scan each page into a PDF document, not one PDF document per page though, the scanning software will let you scan multiple pages into a single document. Break up into separate files by month or by year depending upon the number of pages you have per period. Label the documents by date and year, usually "year-month" file name so they sort in order as files on a computer.

Wow! Scanning is easy, but very time consuming. You have a lot more patience and free time than most people I know.

Thank you, CT. So nice to hear others have kept diaries like I did. And great idea to type them up and "file" them on the computer. Unfortunately I have way too many diaries and not enough time to even read them. But thanks so much for your response!

Of course that's the most practical...

Yes, that's probably what's in the back of my mind as I wrestle with this decision... Wouldn't my great grandchildren like to read what life was like for a person back in the day?? And maybe I'd even become famous like Samuel Pepys!

I'd love to have them and I would not throw them away on you. I find a persons history to be extremely interesting. What you did and experienced, made you who you are.

My father passed away last year at 94. He was a pilot both military (30 years) and civilian for another 10. A few weeks before he passed I asked if I could have his log books. He had thrown them away a few months prior to me asking. 3 wars and 6 years of being a 4 star generals personal pilot and best friend.
I was, and still am devastated. All I can think was that he knew somewhere in one of them, there were things he just wanted to take with him.

perhaps you might consider condensing the essence of your life learnings and what brought you happiness into a legacy for your grandchildren

trash them

OMG, that must have been devastating to you. Just imagine reading all he had written with such a career!