I have been writing in a journal on an almost-daily basis since I was 17 years old. This is a record of me going through each entry from the beginning, and commenting on the me from fifteen years ago.

It’s fun to be free. When you can laugh because you’ve got nothing to do and nothing need to be done, life is good. When you can sit outside without having anywhere else to go, it’s a grand world. No job, no pressure, no worry, just you slipping through time. It’s hard to tap into that freedom, but when you can, hold on. Grip it tightly and beg it not to go. It will, of course, but for now, let it make you forget. Enjoy your nothings and revel in not done yets, because it’s good to be free.

I used to set up a lawn chair in our driveway and watch the world go by. Watch people, cars, birds, whatever. But I would just sit there and watch. I remember that once it started downpouring while I was sitting, but I just kept sitting there because it seemed fitting. My neighbor even yelled to me that it was raining, and I yelled back that I knew. I’d like to do this again, but don’t know if I could. I don’t think I could sit in one place for even 15 minutes any more.