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.

Thanks Dad. For a minute there, I was actually wondering why I don’t drink. For a little while, Brandon almost talked me into having a chew. So thanks for calling in your drunken stupor, reminding me why I don’t do that. Thanks for helping remember how I don’t want to be and why I’ll never be like you.

Yikes, entries like this are really painful for me to read now because my dad and I have made amends. We have a much better understanding of who each other are, and why we act the way we do. It’s the harsh anger towards my father that I’m most uncomfortable with.