Capsule
A capsule is a time capsule, a letter to your future self: an ordinary journal page you write now, seal to a day you choose, and cannot open until that day arrives.
- Make oneName it. It opens onto a page like any other in the journal.
- Write itThe same canvas, the same photos, the same writing.
- Seal itChoose the day it opens, and confirm.
- WaitA capsule past its day is not late. It's ready.
A letter to your future self, on a day you pick
A birthday letter, a note to whoever you are a year after a move, the things you want to remember thinking before something changes. You pick the day it opens, and until then it stays shut.
A capsule is an ordinary journal page underneath, the same canvas and the same photos, wrapped in one idea. See Journaling for the page itself.
Writing a capsule
Make a capsule and name it. It opens onto a page exactly like any other: write, add photos, arrange them however you like. Nothing about the day is asked yet, and that comes at the seal.
Writing on a fresh capsule page
Sealing a capsule
Seal asks you to pick the day it opens, then to confirm. Once it's sealed you can't reopen it before that day, which is why it's the one time you're asked twice.
An empty capsule can't be sealed. Something has to be written on it first, so you never end up with an envelope that opens in a year onto a blank page.
a moment later is exactly when you can't change your mindWhat a capsule looks like, at each stage
It's drawn as an envelope, in one of four states:
- Being written a flap that lifts, yours to open any time.
- Sealed shut, with its day still ahead.
- Ready its day has arrived.
- Opened once you've read it.
A capsule that's waited a while isn't late
One that came due in March and is still sitting there in August says "Ready to open", exactly as it did on day one. Nothing counts how long it's waited and nothing goes amber.
The ring around the wax fills in as the wait passes, which is a picture of time going by rather than of something overdue.
Questions about capsules
The details, for when you want them. Nothing here is required reading.Can I open a capsule before its day arrives?
No. Before its day there's nothing to press: a sealed capsule simply doesn't open, so you're never refused.
Can I remove a capsule after I've sealed it?
Yes, any time, sealed or not. You may always throw away your own letter. What you can't do is read it early, which is a different thing entirely.
Can I reseal a capsule after I've opened it?
Yes. An opened capsule is an ordinary letter again: write more if you like, then seal it to a new day whenever you're ready.
Will a capsule show up on my calendars?
No. A capsule never marks a day on the month or the year. You'll find it here, on its own shelf, waiting.
Is a sealed capsule encrypted or password-protected?
No, neither. The seal is a promise you made to yourself rather than a lock, and the only person it keeps the letter from is the one who shut it.