Generally speaking, I don’t care about stuff. I don’t need the latest technological gizmo. Cars interest me only because they can take me to exciting places. I put almost zero thought into my clothes. Two weeks ago I decided I needed a new pair of shoes, but I have yet to buy them, and I’m not sure I will.But in thinking about today’s writing challenge—“Write about an inanimate object you have a strong emotional attachment to”—my thoughts returned to two groups of objects.Before I explain, let me say that the first thing that came to mind were pictures. Photographs can instantly bring us back to a particular time and place, and it’s difficult to think of anything more valuable than a family’s collection of photographs.But I’d argue that photographs aren’t inanimate. The people in them, and the memories attached to them, give them life.Which leaves me with the other two groups of objects.First, I’m emotionally attached to clothes, which might be surprising since I just said I put zero thought into my clothes. But I’m not talking about my clothes. I’m talking about my children’s clothes. And, to be more precise, my children’s “baby” clothes.We have bins of plastic totes filled with clothes that my children wore when they were young. (Not that kids who are five, ten, twelve and nineteen-years-old aren’t young!) There are onesies, footie pajamas, dress-up outfits, toddler t-shirts, and countless other outfits.And I can’t bring myself to part with them.When our kids are small, before they can effectively express themselves with words, or wardrobe choices, or in most other ways, their clothes and toys are huge parts of their lives. Every parent can identify with the kid who loves one shirt or dress so much that he or she wants to wear it as much as possible.My twelve-year-old son would still wear a particular yellow Pokemon shirt every day if we’d let him. And that tendency toward clothing obsession is even more prevalent in small children.
Every now and then we pull those plastic totes from storage and go through them with the intention of getting rid of some stuff. But then I see those Very Hungry Caterpillar pajamas that we had in different sizes so my son could continue to wear them as he got bigger. Or the How Now Brown Cow toddler outfit that my daughter wore almost twenty years ago. Or the leopard pajamas immortalized in a classic picture of my daughter crying after she was told she couldn’t have ice cream.And I realize, we’re not throwing any of this stuff away! I love it. I love the memories they bring to mind. Getting rid of that stuff would almost be like saying those memories don’t matter. So I’ll keep it. No matter how much space it consumes.The other group of objects to which I’m attached are certain housewares. These attachments aren’t directly related to my children, but they are reminiscent of memories that took place when they were young.We bought those glasses at an Old Time Pottery in Tennessee. I remember putting those chairs together. That entertainment center has been here as long as the house has been here.It’s the stuff of my life. No wonder I’m attached. But because it’s my life, and my memories, and my family, it’s not just stuff.Enter your e-mail address below and we'll send new Dry it in the Water posts directly to your inbox!
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