My home is organized and neat. A sanctuary, I love being surrounded by books, music and art. But I have pockets of sloth: upper desk drawer and the bin between front seats of my car.
Recently got excited about "Tidying Up with Marie Kondo." Drew the line with precious items in the top desk drawer.
"You could at least send me a note," I complained to Ken after moving from Michigan to Washington at age 21. We were in high school marching band together, and became good friends at the University of Michigan. Ken didn't answer my letters.
Ken worked at a firm that made prosthetics. He ran to the workshop, made this metal musical note and promptly mailed it back. A lifelong smart-aleck like me. Love it!
One of daughter Claire's adorable turtle diaper pins. Awww...
Mica I found in New Mexico. From Upper Michigan: copper, a fossil Petoskey stone (Michigan State stone), and two "lucky" polished stones I chose in a rock shop at age 10.
On my kitchen windowsill is an egg-sized, quartz crystal Ken gave me for my 21st birthday. We were backpacking in beautiful Enchanted Valley, Washington. Ken found it in the river.
Waterfalls cascaded from high cliffs surrounding the valley. Quartz crystals formed on the cliffs above, tumbling down waterfalls into the river. A wonderful memory.
A sentimental sap.
And I treasure baby books (Claire's and mine) and Claire's loving letters.
What did you save?
My house is kind of like a B&B. Not much clutter. But I have boxes and boxes of memories in my mind from road trips, vacations, favorite people I’ve known, and mostly from my children when they were young. Guess I’ll lose it all if I ever get Alzheimer’s or dementia. Although, I do have the odd ball assortment of nicknacks in my man box (aka - masculine jewelry box) of things I think are really cool.
I'm an artist so I save lots of things. Not really for sentimental reasons but because I might need it someday.
Love it! Understandable, since I was married to an artist.
You should see my sewing box. I save everything I might need: parachute cord, buttons, elastic, hem tape, snaps, hooks-and-eyes, thread, embroidery floss, etc.
I have almost nothing of sentimental value, and what little I did have I've already given to my children. I did so with the proviso that they were under no obligation or expectation to keep anything, and are free to throw things away although with a couple of items if they choose to do so, check with their cousins.
As a long-time minimalist, since well before it became a pop culture thing, I place no mental value or sentimentality in things. The thoughts exist in my mind.