If it's true that the hidden presence of this notebook gives a new flavor to my life, I have to acknowledge that it isn't making it any happier".
-- Narrator (Later)

Importance: The author utilizes this moment in the text to explore the correlation between writing and self-discovery. When Valeria records her life and thought in the secret journal, she is haunted by anxiety. De Céspedes suggests that examining one’s identity through writing is an arduous task that requires dismantling the ego and grieving past selves.

Absurd as it may seem, lately it's been harder to accept the idea of being old and having to give up everything".
-- Narrator (January 18)

Importance: On January 18th, Valeria’s thoughts on aging serve to illuminate the cultural conflation of motherhood and womanhood. The narrator believes that her life is near ruin because her children are grown and will leave soon. Her life as an individual is not valued...