A diary in the Documents folder.

I hit "save as" on the freelance article I was working on. My documents list popped up, seeking verification that the "save as" location was indeed what I wanted.

Instead of confirming and then going on my merry digital way, something caught my eye.

"Leadershipphilosophypaper-KEEP!!!"

I smiled to myself. That was the first paper I wrote for my Masters in Communication and Leadership. It detailed the philosophies I had developed thus far in my educational and professional career (having consisted of a 2-year stint in the drive-through window at Taco Bell). After submitting the assignment for a grade, we were told to keep it because we would be referring back to it in our final theses.

I don't keep things well. I think to myself, "When on Earth will I ever need this again?" and then throw away my passport.

Further down the Desktop Documents list was 9, 10, 11 applications for jobs I never got called for.

There's the 3 novels that are in various stages of completion, all having been rejected by many, many agents.

My housesitter instructions are buried in the list. I've taken to only traveling when my father isn't. He is a great housesitter and doesn't take typed instructions.

They say that social media has become our new diaries, chronicalling our every move online. I think it's more stalkerish, carefully watching, watching, documenting things that are more important to target marketing rather than our life experiences.

If it's conceded that the diary is extinct, I think the word processing "documents" folder is a good substitution. It's a repository that is actually controlled by the user and not a social media interface. Our documents are survivors of the Recycle Bin, evidence of our lives that we not only write down but save time and time again, updating, revamping, and making just a little bit better for the next time we're here.