June 28

I wrote the following on November 21, 1997:
Late in December 1996, I told Carlos that I could hardly wait for the end of the year, as it had been a bad one. I told him. "It started out bad and stayed that way." He told me it seemed bad because that's what I was focusing on. He challenged me to write down something good every day in 1997 to help me focus on the good things instead of the bad.

And here it is, halfway through 2009, and with only a couple of years of gaps, I have faithfully followed his advice. My current journal is a five year version, and I always read the previous entries when I add new ones. For the most part, the things I've written would be things I'd forgotten about otherwise.

I always write the entries with a fountain pen, and always use purple ink. Don't ask me why.

Don't get me wrong: I do still tend to dwell on the negative, but by following Carlos's advice I have a reason, at least one time a day, to think of good things.

Lubbock, Texas