I'm not sure if it is describing an aging person on a journey through life or what.
There are many circumstances such as
1. Challenging upbringing
2. A series of bad/unfortunate events that affect the life of the person
3. Loss of a person
4. Mental illnesses
5. Bad health
6. Bitterness
and more!
Answer: the answer is he took to many notes
Explanation: hope this helps sorry if it was late :))))