18 January 2022

I read something today that is very true.  It involved the reason why I am so resistant to going through all of our physical items saved throughout our life.  I am a very sentimental person when it comes to saving every little thing that has a memory attached to it or made me feel happy in the moment.  I also look at this from a family archivist viewpoint and want to document as many who, what, when, where and hows that I can.  It leads to what some would call my being a packrat. I prefer Keeper of Memories.  But as the story that I read says, each and every item that you have kept triggers those memories from the past.  That's why you kept it. Something that maybe you do not think of or talk about very often, but important to who you are and simple reminders of times gone by.  It feels the same as a familiar song or smell does.  A ticket stub from one of hundreds of kids and grandkids activities makes me smile.  A dried flower from a long ago high school dance.  A child's drawing given with love.  A child's  homemade stuffed pillow in my favorite color.  Even some trip souvenirs. Family heirlooms passed down till someone doesn't want them anymore.  Granted, my children and grandchildren won't know what the dried flower means to me but for now, I can look at it and it takes me back to great memories that will be gone one day with me.  It's kind of sad when no one else but me seems interested in these memories, but that's because they are mine and not theirs.  So be gentle with us oldsters when the time comes to let go of the physical reminders of those memories.  And maybe make just a few of them yours as well.  

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