Spring, 1968: Death of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Anais writes that she became "hysterical" when she heard the news that Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968.

She writes: "Could not bear the cruelty, the horror of it. Knew what a deep wound it would cause the black people. I never espoused a cause, but the cause of the black people affects me deeply. I joined the vigil for Dr. King at Pershing Square in Los Angeles. That death was full of tragic meaning, humanly and politically. That it could happen was to me the darkest moment of American history."

Winter, 1967 - 1968: Playing Ostrich

Anais Nin is busy:

 - she is nominated a daughter of Mark Twain

 - her books are taught at Queens College in a course in avant-garde literature

 - she is invited to lecture at the Library of Congress

- her work is translated into French, German, Italian, Swedish, Danish, Flemish, Catalonian, and Japanese

Her life in L.A. is very conducive to working - it is peaceful and serene, and there are few interruptions.

Her life in New York, on the other hand, leads her to "play ostrich" at the end of the day. All she can do is drink wine or beer or take a sleeping pill so she can sleep and have enough energy for the next day.

Fall, 1967: Liberation comes from within

Anais Nin writes this line in her diary in reference to the idea that Japanese women marry American men in order to be liberated. But of course, this does not liberate them. It's the same concept as saying, when I accomplish some future thing (get married, lose weight, graduate, move to a certain place, get that job), I'll be happy. Liberation, like happiness, comes from within, and it starts right now. The same is true for the opposite - feeling of loss of freedom, unhappiness - they also come from within, from an attitude, a way of thinking. You get a handle on your mind so that your thoughts contribute to the life you want to create. Not talking about the things that drag you down takes the focus off those things so you can switch your attention to positive things. You can chose, you can decide to be a Tigger instead of an Eeyore.

Summer, 1967: Tahiti

Anais Nin visits Tahiti, where "what predominates is the caressing atmosphere, the scent of tiara flowers, the tinkle of shell necklaces, the beauty of the brown women. The atmosphere unties your nerves, opens the pores of your skin so that you feel like a flower opening in the dew."

People have a need to dream, to hope, especially when going through a rough patch, it is helpful to dream about a place you've visited or hope to visit. You can transport yourself out of your current experience, if only for a few moments.