My goodness. What a beautiful piece of writing. And so poignant to me after just cleaning out my parents' house where I grew up and where they lived for 54 years. It wasn't the monetarily valuable things I wanted. It was the mundane, the every day. A cup from the cupboard, a table cloth. But oh! What memories the mundane represent.
I work in a library and it's amazing the number of items we find left in books, but we are able to trace the last borrower and return the items. Most of it is treasure but occasionally it is something gross, like a used ear bud or clump of hair. I have photos. But I digress from your article, sorry.
I sometimes wonder if I disposed of the keepsakes (clutter) from relatives and souvenirs of places, would their memory still live with me afterwards. Having them is a constant reminder.
It's lovely to hear that it could connect with you in this way. I've been victim to many dead spiders in book alongside all of this so I feel your pain there! But yes, it's an odd thing to think about - the physicality of something is that extra reminder to jog your memory I suppose. I find it hard to give up any scrap of clutter that reminds me of anything.
My goodness. What a beautiful piece of writing. And so poignant to me after just cleaning out my parents' house where I grew up and where they lived for 54 years. It wasn't the monetarily valuable things I wanted. It was the mundane, the every day. A cup from the cupboard, a table cloth. But oh! What memories the mundane represent.
I'm glad it could relate to you in such a way Lynne! Thank you as always - it always comes down to the little things in the end doesn't it x
A thought provoking article, thankyou.
I work in a library and it's amazing the number of items we find left in books, but we are able to trace the last borrower and return the items. Most of it is treasure but occasionally it is something gross, like a used ear bud or clump of hair. I have photos. But I digress from your article, sorry.
I sometimes wonder if I disposed of the keepsakes (clutter) from relatives and souvenirs of places, would their memory still live with me afterwards. Having them is a constant reminder.
It's lovely to hear that it could connect with you in this way. I've been victim to many dead spiders in book alongside all of this so I feel your pain there! But yes, it's an odd thing to think about - the physicality of something is that extra reminder to jog your memory I suppose. I find it hard to give up any scrap of clutter that reminds me of anything.