THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, JULY 3, 2018
FEATURES
Should I edit my journals?
Dear Annie: I need some ments about the difficulties
advice on what to do about I went through dealing with
my daily journals. I keep a his drinking but also informa-
daily journal and have for tion about the family’s nor-
many years — including mal daily life — for exam-
during a time when my hus- ple, children’s sports games.
band was an alco-
I’d like to save my
DEAR
holic. He’s been sober
journals in case my
for 27 years. (We are
grandchildren
or
ANNIE
in our late 70s.)
great-grandchildren
In those journals,
would like to know, in
I wrote about the
the future, what their
times he got drunk
grandmother’s
or
— of his stumbling
great-grandmother’s
around in a drunken
life was like, but I
stupor, of his pass-
wonder about the wis-
Lane
dom of making it pos-
ing out in his lounger Annie
Creators
Syndicate Inc.
sible for them to read
with our children sit-
ting in the room, of
about their alcoholic
his lying about going to Alco- grandfather or great-grandfa-
holics Anonymous meet- ther. Should I leave the jour-
ings and instead going to the nals unabridged, or should I
club and drinking for hours. take only the good excerpts
I wrote about all these times from them to preserve my
and more, describing the fam- husband’s sober image? His
ily’s embarrassment and frus- grandchildren only know him
tration and adding my own as a loving sober man. I don’t
angry comments.
know whether our children
Now that he’s been — so have ever enlightened their
thankfully — sober all these own children about how their
years, I’m wondering what to grandfather used to be before
do about those journals from he stopped drinking. I have a
the times when he was not. hunch they have never said
They contain not only com- anything about it.
So, what do I do? At my
age, I’m thinking that if I’m
going to change anything, I’d
better start doing it now. —
Deliberating Diarist
Dear Deliberating Dia-
rist: Your family’s strug-
gle with alcoholism is not
something you or your hus-
band should feel ashamed of,
and it might actually be help-
ful for your grandchildren
and great-grandchildren to
be made aware of it — when
they’re old enough — as they
may be genetically predis-
posed to the disease them-
selves. Even if they’re not at
risk, they will inevitably face
some hardships of their own.
How special it would be for
them to be able to look to
the pages of your journal and
remember their heritage of
perseverance. You’re passing
these journals down because
you want your descendants to
know what your life was like,
so let them know what it was
really like: thrilling, exasper-
ating, challenging, fulfilling,
maddening,
awe-inspiring
— not always pretty but ulti-
mately still beautiful.
5A
TOMORROW’S HOROSCOPE
ARIES (March 21-April 19). Greed is the black
hole of sins. It always wants more. It cannot be
satisfied. It can, however, be combated. It will
happen today by way of a reversal. Greed will
be broken by generosity.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Repeating a
thought doesn’t make it more true or more likely
to become reality. Looping thoughts need inter-
ruption, which can be achieved by distracting
yourself with a task that requires a high level of
concentration.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). You now under-
stand that you don’t need what you thought you
needed. In fact, you can get by with less and/
or different. You may be able to make a trade
today.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). If you’re not
looking after yourself properly, it will be like
opening a door to negative thoughts and low
self-esteem. What do you wish your fairy god-
mother would do for you? Whatever it is, do it
for yourself. It’s an excellent start.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Conflicting advice will
be part of today’s challenge, and also part of
the fun. How will you know what to choose?
There’s no right or wrong choice; it’s a matter of
taste and fit. And you’re the expert on what you
like and what feels good to you.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). If you can eliminate
the absolutes from your vocabulary today, all
of the things you “always” or “never” do will be
off the table and you can focus on the lovely
shades and specifics between extremes.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). You’re in the busi-
ness of making things happen. However, it will
be very beneficial to put that business aside for
some time because it will be in the moments in
between, when nothing happens, that you will
FRANK AND ERNEST
BLONDIE
THATABABY
SALLY FORTH
PHOEBE AND HER UNICORN
B.C.
LOLA
DILBERT
SIX CHIX
BIZARRO
MUTTS
NON SEQUITUR
BABY BLUES
WIZARD OF ID
ZITS
ROSE IS ROSE
feel most fully alive.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). The magic combi-
nation is roughly the same as it was yesterday.
With the right attitude for the job, the amount
of effort necessary to make things happen and
reasonable expectations, you will continue to
succeed.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Let the
cynics make fun of the world; you’d much rather
make fun of yourself. People will appreciate
your honesty and vulnerability. You’ll make them
laugh as they relate to your story.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). This thing
you want is going to take more work than you
thought. A coach can help you work smarter
and faster. Unambiguous feedback is what
you’ll need, and you’re tough enough to hear
it, too.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Know what can
be done and what cannot be done. These are
facts; it’s nothing personal. But as you do what
can be done, more will fall under your jurisdic-
tion.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). You have a star-
ring role in someone’s thoughts. Though this
person’s casting of you may be a bit unrealistic,
it’s not entirely off. You’ll have fun stretching
yourself into the part, as long as it’s close to
who you want to be.
TOMORROW’S BIRTHDAY (July 4). There are
no limits on your dreams, and your achieve-
ments are within your reach. Creating an
environment that will consistently support you
is a commitment; don’t expect it to happen
overnight. Stay compassionate. Get a new
coach or teacher to help you transition into your
new life. Scorpio and Aquarius adore you. Your
lucky numbers are: 17, 8, 9, 33 and 40.