precious things

So I’ve learned a bit about ‘collecting’ things throughout my life. There has come this surrender in me, this clear acceptance that I am a ‘collector’. Perhaps there is this deeper meaning to it, that I form connections through tiny and seemingly trivial things. Is this materialistic of me? Surely by other people’s definition, it could be. But I feel as if these small things contribute to my life significantly.
Almost as if tethering me to moments, people, places—the list goes on. I can hold a coin and vividly recount its journey. Or smell an old perfume I haven’t worn in a while and let this nostalgia wash over me. I think I have a hard time letting go. I used to say that I was not ‘sentimental’ or that I get ‘attached’ to things easily.
Why did I lie about that? And why did I lie about it for so long?
Was it this fear of seeming clingy? Or perhaps even silly? Who gets emotional over a wooden button?
Ah, yes—that would be…me. I do not know why I hid my fragility away, especially in a world where I was already minimized by so many ‘other’ attributes. In time, I’ve garnered that bravery to be sentimental. To fall in love with moments and little, tiny precious things. Coins, lockets, keys—books, paper receipts, and old creaky things. These are pieces of me. Pieces of people and pieces of life. It may not be breathing, but it lives. It really does, through the colorful memories in my head. When I touch them—when it touches me.
Precious is truly the right word for these items I’ve come to hold so dear to me.

Here is the secret to precious things: it can be whatever you want. Truly! A comb, a kisslock coin purse, some ratty socks.
It’s what you feel that makes it precious. Obviously I do not have an attachment to everything. But when I do, it is because something so moving brings me to it. For example; the way a comb fits into the meat of my palms. How it’s handle curves into my flesh—how it runs through damp curls and catches stray hairs that I pluck out of it. This gentle reminder of when my grandmother would sit me down so early in the morning. Watching something on a fatback TV—static color. The taut of the pigtails and snapping of rubber bands with strawberry flavored plastic (because oddly everything in the late 90s to early 2000s was flavored for some reason).
That memory reminds me of home. This simple comb can bring me back to a time when being a girl did not hurt and being little did not mean being ‘small’.

Ideally you want your precious items to last long. Though this shouldn’t mean it has to be expensive or costly. I’ve recently gotten into collecting some of nature’s treasures. Shells, rocks, and pressed flowers. Or even bugs (though I feel more guilty about this, imagine plucking an innocent beetle and freezing it).
These feel profoundly precious. Special because this is something that encapsulates nature and sometimes we need reminders to ourselves to be kind to our earth. This costs nothing to collect–perhaps a jar to keep them or a notebook to press them. I believe stepping outside and allowing the world to touch you is so important to the nervous system. It does something that absolutely nothing else can do.
It makes me feel alive in this raw way, but I’ve always felt so indebted to the earth. So that could be me romanticizing something like this.
Anyways, if you have any pondering thoughts about how you can create a precious repertory of things. A physical manifesto! Here are some tips that can perhaps inspire you.
1. try finding something metal. This could be a carabiner, locket, compact mirror, or even a key. Get it engraved with a favorite quote, a name, or even date. This feels more personal and whenever you glance at it—this can instantly bring a slew of emotions to the forefront of your mind.
2. pick a season. Summer holds many memories for me and living on an island—seashells have always been a staple momento to many who visit here. So gathering items from that particular season can aide to immortalizing memories of such a time. Going to a beach and pondering. Finding out a revelation in a forest. Well, a rock or shell can certainly remind you of that sliver of brilliance. And I like the vagueness of it too—sometimes I like to guess why I even have the rock in the first place.
3. mundane things. As I’ve mentioned before, my comb(s) have become a precious thing to me. Often linked to my childhood and even a way to stay connected to that little girl inside me. Taking the everyday and holding it dear to our hearts is something else entirely. Sometimes getting caught up in fast moving wants can take away from the everyday things that could possibly bring us joy. If we just stop wanting things all the damn time, maybe we’d realize that these small things have a place in our hearts. Maybe it is a mug, maybe it is a paperclip that works particularly well. Or even a business card from those really lovely diners. A spoon—literally anything!
Anything is precious. Because that is the power you hold. So subtle, so beautiful. This little collection of yourself. Keep them and treasure them.
And don’t forget them. Remember them for as long as you can.
Goodbye for now my maidens.





