A month later, her diary remains hopeful

Alaya Horne, 8, worries about family and friends in the pandemic but is thrilled about being ‘famous.’

When we last visited Alaya Horne — the 8-year-old who’s been documenting the highs and lows of living through a pandemic on the pages of her diary — she was filled with optimism.

One month — and 28 diary entries later — that sense of hope remains.

“I’m feeling pretty good,” Alaya said. “I’m optimistic and so is my mom. I get that from her.”

Over the last four weeks, her diary, which is purple and shaped like a cat, has reflected the range of emotions that each of us has been feeling.

She worries about her little brother:

And

animals:

She’s thankful that she’s getting to spend more time with her dad, a software engineer. Like the rest of us, he’s now working from home: »

At the suggestion of her mother, Alaya Horne began writing about the experience of what it’s like to live through a global pandemic.

Read through some of the entries from her diary,

“I like that my dad gets to stay home because of the coronavirus because I get to see him more often. When we were allowed to leave the house, I barely saw him because he worked so much. I love my Dad.”

She misses her friends:

She’s concerned that the family’s vacation might be disrupted:

She just wishes it would all end — and soon:

Alaya, as you may remember, is a second grader who lives in Johns Creek with her mother and father, Shara and Chris, and her little brother,

Killian, who is now 21 months old.

The idea of keeping the diary came from Alaya’s mom, who suddenly found herself cast into the unfamiliar role of grade-school teacher and dreamed up the unique assignment. Since then, Alaya has put pen to paper, each day reflecting on just how much life has changed.

Even simple pleasures, such as a drive in the car after dropping off some supplies at her school, feel special:

Alaya is thrilled that she’s been able to share her diary with our readers — and she was quite honored to see her name and photograph in the newspaper:

Since the story appeared, Alaya has heard from teachers, friends and neighbors. She even had the opportunity to “meet” Freddie Falcon, who made a surprise, yet virtual, appearance to wish her the best after her story appeared.

“He was so funny … wow!” Alaya said. “I tried to teach him karate, but instead of karate chopping, he just wanted to dance.”

Across the country, historians and archivists are urging Americans to keep journals of their own to document this extraordinary moment in history.

These intimate snapshots, they hope, will someday help retell this story — hard as it will be to believe — decades or centuries later.

At the same time, research shows that the experience of keeping a journal during these trying times can help relieve stress — whether you’re young or old.

Recording our thoughts and feelings on a regular basis, even for a few minutes each day, can help us process negative emotions and alleviate anxiety, researchers have found.

For Alaya’s mom, the diary has certainly provided her with a better understanding of how her daughter is coping with it all.

“It’s helping me track where she is on the roller coaster,” Shara Horne said. “I can see where her mind is and bring her back to the positive side.”

She’s also amazed at how well her daughter is handling the uncertainty and disruption.

“She seems comfortable staying home. She hasn’t complained — not once,” Shara said. “When she sees the smile leave my face, she tries to make me feel comfortable.

“I’m so proud of how well she’s done, and how much she’s been trying to cheer up her friends.”

Over the next several weeks, we’ll revisit Alaya and her diary.

In the meantime, like everyone else, Alaya is just trying to keep it all together and remain hopeful:

CONTRIBUTED BY SHARA HORNE The cover of Alaya Horne’s diary.