By MaCayla Jablonski, Staff Reporter.
On February 28, I was granted the opportunity to read at Counter Culture’s event, Dear Diary. Dear Diary is a volunteer opportunity for tri-city locals to bring in a diary of theirs to read on stage, to an audience. Counter Culture in Saginaw puts Dear Diary on monthly. The event was inspired by a hit series on N.P.R. called Mortified, however, their version is a bit different. They encourage readings from both old and current diaries. If you’re anything like me, you might be thinking, “Why the hell would anyone want to do that?” It’s actually not as bad as it sounds.
Initially, I went to interview Rachel Ladrig, “connector” at Counter Culture, about the event. This was when she invited (tricked) me onstage to be a reader. At first, I was horrified. Speaking in front of people is not my cup-of-tea, in fact it’s one of my biggest fears, however, Rachel made me feel right at home there. She encouraged me to be comfortable enough to share my personal memories with an entire room of people I’d never met before. So that’s just what I did.
There were five volunteers to read that night. Up first was Katie Balamucki, a Saginaw Valley State University graduate. She shared entries from her teenage years that were laugh-out-loud funny. She told stories of old crushes and watching “the cool” MTV.
Melvin Price Jr. joined Dear Diary as a first time reader on Sunday. He read entries from journals he kept as a young boy, sharing about the culture shock he experienced when he moved to Saginaw from Europe. He also shared current, personal entries about his sense of self, and his intimate love for his wife.
Another reader to hit the stage that Sunday was Lilah Bartel, a second time diary reader. Lilah read entries from diaries she kept ages six to 18. She shared with us how she survived living a sheltered childhood, and about her “completely unspontaneous” first kiss (as she put it).
I read a few pages from the diary I kept as a 9-year-old. It was liberating to relive the thoughts and feelings I had as a young girl. You assume you forget how you felt as a 9-year-old until you’re reading your gel-penned, chicken-scratch and it all comes flooding back to you. Being able to revisit with myself after all this time, helped me gain a better sense of who I am. It was truly an eye-opening experience.
The last reader of the night was Rachel Ladrig. Rachel shared heavy entries from her past, including the battle she fought with drug and alcohol addiction, and the struggle she faced to remain in recovery. She shared her thoughts about how we change in our lifetimes and that the mistakes you’ve made in your past, do not define the person you are today. Her words left the crowd in awe, and utterly inspired.
If you’d like to be inspired or laugh at yourself in front of a room full of strangers– make sure to check out Counter Culture’s Facebook page for information on events they have coming up. I highly recommend it.
