The newspaper headline mentioned something about a man being appointed as secretary of something or other. You saw on tv last night that a foreign country is giving lip service to the United Nations while doing something completely different. On the radio this morning in between songs someone chimed in at the top of the hour to tell you that two people died during a drive by shooting somewhere on the other side of town. Again.

Really. And all you wanted to know was whether or not there's a traffic jam between you and work. What a bummer. More people died again. I don't know about you but I hate hearing about that.

Do these events have anything to do with your life? When some famous celebrity stars in yet another new movie or a politician is found once again to be committing adultery, does this directly affect you? Do these events have anything to do with your life directly? Will they increase your taxes? Will they improve the school systems in your community or get the city planning council to fix the roads you drive? Does this affect you at all, really? In any way at all?

I don't know. What do you think about it?

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When Princess Diana was killed in a car accident over a year ago, a large number of journalers weighed in and focused their diary on that subject. Some of them were in mourning for a woman they had never met but had admired from afar. Others were outraged that such a tragedy could happen. Some blamed the papparazzi. Others questioned whether or not the limosine driver was drunk. I do not recall a single one of them having actually been in France at the time of the accident. Nor do I recall a single one of them saying they had ever met the princess during her life.

Still, it affected them. It mattered to them. It touched their hearts.

If you're having difficulty writing a diary entry today, pick up that newspaper and read the articles inside it. Listen to the radio or watch a bit of news on the television. Does anything strike you? Perhaps it feels like you've heard it all before. Write about whatever comes to mind and to heart. See where it takes you.

And if that doesn't work, come back next time and we'll try something else.