Could you tell me what happened in your life on Thursday, July 21, 2011? How about on Monday, May 2, 2011?
I started keeping a journal back in 1970. Before that, I was just putting a few words on the kitchen calendar. But since I wanted to be serious and keep a real one, I used a small book and gradually ended up using 8-by-10 notebooks, which I still use today.
Now, I fill an entire lined, spiral notebook on both sides of each sheet with what is going on every day. I decided I would check my own journal and see what I had done those particular days and found that July 21, we had a church supper, and I had served food to the 80 people who came to the free meal. Then I checked May 2 of that same year and found that I picked up my sisters, Jean and Ann, and went to our sister Marilyn’s home to play cards and have lunch at Perkins Pancake House.
I encourage everyone to keep a journal. You never know when you may wish you had.
As for swings, I am writing about porch swings. We have one on our front patio. That particular swing dates back to 1948 when it was on the porch of my parents’ home on North Sandusky Street in Delaware. I remember crowding onto that swing and making it go as fast as possible before hitting the porch railing. As heavy as it was, it got moved from house to house and ended up here. That’s because no one else wanted it. It’s a great place to sit. I enjoy looking at porches on homes as we pass in our drives around the country. I remember seeing a porch with not just a swing, but a couch, a floor lamp, and two other overstuffed chairs. It looked like an outdoor living room. With all the subdivisions and smaller homes, I rarely see a porch swing or even a comfortable chair because the porches are so small. And the rows of homes all look so much alike. I wonder how children can find their own home when they are walking home from school. You can have a swing that seats three or even four that costs anywhere from $100 to $1,000. I’m glad we ended up with the same swing that our parents may have paid $5 for back in the ’40s.
My third subject is about premonitions. Last evening, I had a premonition that I should call an old friend today. Her name is Mary. We met at junior high at Willis in Delaware back in our school days. I remember a slumber party she had. When she gave me my invitation, I thought it said she was inviting me to a summer party. But, in conversations with other girls in our class, I found that it really said a “slumber party.” Not knowing what it was, I had a lot to learn. She had a playhouse, so a perfect place to have a party.
Our friendship went from those days up to now — which spans a time of 75 years. Shocking! We have met at class reunions, but I hadn’t been in touch with her for years. So, I got out my address book and dialed what I hoped would still be her number. And it was! She was shocked that it was me. I’m sorry to have to say her husband died last evening and here I was, out of the blue calling her at noon today. Her husband was a nice guy named Jim. I’m so glad to have had the premonition to call at the time I did.
Having three different topics to write about I didn’t know which to choose, so I chose them all. Would you like to have kept a journal for the past 50 some years? Do you have a swing out on your porch? If you have premonitions, do you follow them?
Kay E. Conklin is a retired Delaware County recorder who served four terms. She graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University with a degree in sociology and anthropology.
