Perhaps I was always a writer at heart, long before I started writing seriously.

It was September 1988. My then boyfriend and I had scraped together our meager funds to travel to the United States to go to a “GMAT Forum” with hopes to learn more about business schools we could apply to.

I kept very brief notes about our daily escapades in a pocket-sized diary, which I have kept all these years in some box in the attic, moved around the world a couple of times, and recently rediscovered and decided to type into Word.

The below is an excerpt:

Tuesday 9/27/88:

Police around Waldorf Astoria because Reagan there. Bloomingdale’s, The Sharper Image, Marriott’s, Macy’s (Ronald & Nancy slippers). Cyclist running red light and illegally turns left, then whistles at policeman.

In evening Village again. Stomach ache from Haagen Dazs.

Wednesday 9/28/88:

Bus to Wall Street. Guy with token in his ear. Mass at Trinity Church. Wall St traffic chaos: pedestrian to taxi driver, after he is almost run over: “I was just trying to cross the street!“ taxi driver: „What do you think I’m trying to do!“

Sign: „Don’t even THINK of parking here“. South Street Seaport.  Donald Trump’s yacht.

It was totally worth the effort to keep those notes all those years ago (27 years ago, to be exact), don’t you think? If only to see Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump mentioned on the same page.

Keep a diary. Your future self will thank you for it.