In 2009, I didn’t keep the best journal. Life became “busy,” and I let it slip. This year, I didn’t want to miss out on keeping my personal record. At bedtime on January 1, I was tired and wanted to go to sleep, but I wanted to start the year off right. I compromised: one sentence seemed like a fair trade. The next night, the same process. And the idea stuck—one sentence a day. It’s doable. It helps me evaluate the day. I like it.

Some nights I end up with one sentence, some nights I end up with eight sentences. Generally, it’s around 100 words. Today I realized that in January I ended up with over 3,000 words of personal history. One hundred words a day doesn’t seem like much, but the record adds up quickly. I’m glad I have a snapshot of at least one thought/happening/moment/realization that was important to me each day.