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What do you choose to let go of?
A trip to my childhood home again brought forth the rummaging through closets and digging into boxes of a lifetime past. I have written about this prior, with a great unboxing post or two, and am often left to ponder the above questions.
A quandary I believe I have done better at answering over the years, while thinking about to why this stuff held importance in the first place. Thinking about why to hold onto such items, who they are eventually shared with, and passing down stories of youth (and beyond).
One box, torn from use, storage, and multiple moves, unveiling the world of the 1990's.
To begin, I have no idea why I kept my retainer. Best left to the trash; a decision in present day that took less than five seconds to cement.
From there, though, the world was my oyster.
Digging into joy
Letter writing played a huge part in those days, and letters were saved from across an entire decade. Letters from my cousin. Letters from high school friends. A handful of notes passed in Junior High, though less than I expected, which leads me to believe at one point I did a purging.
Letters from a girl I met at a FBLA National Conference in Anaheim, in which we stayed pen pals for about year, communicating coast-to-coast.
More FBLA mementos, notably a scorecard from a mini-golf game shared among a group of four at a different conference a year prior. Plus, programs from conferences and other simple collectibles to remember the time.
What do you choose to hold onto?
What do you choose to let go of?
Yearbooks from the seventh grade, and grades 9 through 11. Separated from grades 8 and 12, which were already with me. Now, reunited after all these years.
Brackets from high school state championship tournaments. Clippings from those early years of high school sports and team photos from over the years. Plus, a newspaper snapshot that captured scoring a goal in a youth soccer game.
Snapshots in time
Photos, loose and in a pocket-sized album. A Science Club trip in Junior High to Death Valley, plus a news clipping from the local paper with the entire group. A trip where I forgot most of the science, but a trip to Scotty's Castle and an epic game of Capture the Flag both live fresh in my mind.
Of course, a good box of mementos contains a random assortment of items. A Coke bottle. Programs from theater student showcases in college and the American College Theater Festival. A collection of pins because hey, a D.A.R.E. pin and "Senior Pride is Contagious: Catch It" will never go out of style (which I suppose I will hold onto the latter because in 15 years or so, the slogan will take on a new meaning).
And of course, a trip down memory lane is not complete without a stuffed animal that has seen better days. (One called Simba, long before The Lion King hit the airwaves).
Stories are associated with each item in the box, whether a long one or short, joyous or sad. In a way, choosing to hang on is about legacy and where and how these stories about said items are shared. Instances when a deep connection to the past helped shape the present or perhaps, even a trinket reminding you of friends made along the way.
What do you choose to hold onto?
What do you choose to let go of?
Easy to decide. Difficult to execute. But hopefully done with a little luck, a smile. And a story to tell.
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