Listen to Jim:
http://redclaydiary.com/mp3/
or read on…
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Life, actually…
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THE SOLITUDE OF THE LONG-AGO DIARY-KEEPERS
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The small worn leather-bound diary on my desk offers up clue after clue about its owner, who lived way back in 1919. Whether I truly understand these clues is something that cannot be determined. So, I weave my profile of the diary-keeper, unfettered by fact and evidence.
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Here it is. The title page of this century-plus old diary says much, reveals little:
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Bought at “Fowey”
Dec. 6, 1918
U.S.S.C. #352
Ray P. Rogers
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The facing blank page states:
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Belonging to Ray Rogers
U.S.N
Radioman
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The first day of the calendar, January 1, 1919:
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Stayed on boat all day
Stood 10 to 12 watch
Wrote some letters
turned in
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An action-packed day for a man at sea
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Skipping over to February 6, 1919:
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Loaded depth bombs all day on Lake View
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Skip to April 7, 1919
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At sea between Lisbon and Azores.
At last I am able to give my thoughts
full sway. My friend has been at home with my girl
and pals all day. I seem to be bursting open with
pleasant thoughts of the things I am to do when I
reach the best place in the world—home in Alabama.
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You can imagine the rest, since the actual diary is in safe but unknown hands by now.
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What intrigues me most about forgotten letters and diaries and scrapbooks is the economy of words, the shorthand thoughts and, mainly, the unwritten reflections that rest between the lines.
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As I read the words of people long gone, I begin to get an image of what they must have been like. The astounding revelation is that no matter how blustery or humble the entries are, each diarist winds up sounding like you and me.
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Just folks alone with themselves, writing down what their fingers dictate.
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The poet Rilke called all of us Solitudes.
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We diarists and poets and authors are all solitudes, no matter how many people surround us. When it comes to recording thoughts and feelings, each of us has to do it alone. Each of us has to face our own solitude as squarely as possible.
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Each of us makes the Journey hand-in-hand with ourselves
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© Jim Reed 2023 A.D.