Paper Airplanes and Hammocks

I was flipping through an old notebook when I came across these lines in my own messy handwriting:

   -July 12th, 2021

Tried something new today. I decided to sleep in a hammock on the Hundsheimer Berg. What a horrible idea.

Wow, what an experience that was. All the memories from that night come rushing back. Those thoughts and feelings I had out there in the cool summer breeze at sunset are something I never want to forget.

This got me wondering…

I could write my story of the day!

When you think back on the past week, month, or even year, do specific memories or feelings flash in front of your eyes? Are you able to go through each day in your mind and remember the things you did?

Or is it all more of a blur?

If I asked you what was special about last Tuesday, would you have an answer?

Just recently, I found myself pondering these questions. Thinking about the past weeks, I realized that only by checking my calendar to see what I had done on a certain day was I able to recall the experience in detail with all the emotions.

Have you ever heard a person say one of the following statements? “Why gosh, it’s already Thursday! This week is really flying by!” or “Another year is over. They go by so fast!” or “How is it already mid-January? I feel like it was October just last week!”

I myself have uttered these phrases many times. It seems time always passes by so quickly. This made me curious: Could I slow time down? Ok, I admit, that question may be a bit exaggerated; let me rephrase it: Could I manage to be on Thursday and look back thinking, “It’s been a really good week so far”, or “It’s only mid-January, and I’ve already made so many good memories.” instead of wondering how time has once again fled me.

I decided to give it a try.

I set a goal: Don’t let everyday life become monotonous and pass me by and instead enjoy and remember the highlights of the day.

How would I achieve this?

I created my story of the day.

That’s right. I became a journalist of my own life. Each evening, I would sit down and think about everything that had happened on that day. I chose one event, thought, interaction, joke, or whatever else I could think of and wrote down the story under that day’s date. When selecting what to put into ink, I did not ask myself what was important, strange, or funny; I simply asked: What is something I want to remember this day by?

Here are two examples:

   -October 31st, 2021

I took a break from studying with one of my young students today, and we went outside to throw paper airplanes. He had never done something like that before and didn’t know how to build one. It was a windy day, and when we threw the first one, he started jumping and running in circles, chasing it. He had a huge smile on his face. It was really cute. Who would have thought something so simple could bring so much joy to a child?

   -July 12th, 2021   

Tried something new today. I decided to sleep in a hammock on the Hundsheimer Berg. What a horrible idea. Who does that but doesn’t bring a jacket or long pants? It was so cold and really windy all night, so I didn’t sleep a bit. I hung my hammock as high as possible so the deer and wild boar couldn’t reach me. It sounds silly now, but it’s a whole different story when it’s pitch black and you’re all alone. The whole experience is hilarious, and I’ll definitely do it again…maybe I’ll prepare a bit better, though.

By jotting down these short comments, I was not trying to keep a journal where I record everything I do. I’ve tried that, and I quit after day 1. I simply want to have something to remember each day by and look back on and help recall the experience, emotions, and feelings of that moment. After all, those three things, experiences, emotions, and feelings, are a big part of this life we live.