Memory Keepers

I saw a post on Facebook that said, “Don’t ever save anything for a special occasion, being alive is the special occasion.” It had a ton of likes and shares. It reminded me of how often I hear about people keeping items of Mom or Grandma for that special event and the rest of the year they pack it up, put it in storage and wait for another special occasion.

I have heard customers say, "that brings back happy memories" such as meals together, a birthday celebration or the item sparks a visual of the person who owned it. They give a lot of reasons why they don’t display their keepsakes, and the number one reason is always, “I’m afraid it will get broken.” Let me tell you why I think these special items should be used and enjoyed on a daily basis.

The moment of NOW never ends and our brains try to pick and choose moments to remember, moments we perceive as special. Often these moments of time are strongly connected to emotions, things or smells, Grandma’s perfume for example. This gives rise to a concept I am very familiar with— sentimentality.

Many people believe sentimentality is to be looked down upon because it is a rush of uncontrolled emotions and considered a weakness. Raise your hand if you’ve cried at Hallmark or McDonald’s commercial? It’s really your brain's desire to make sense of everything in the context of your experiences.

In our world today we are bombarded by so much negative news, why not surround ourselves with things that bring us more joy? If your Grandma's china makes you happy, use it. If you love flowers, pull out Mom's sterling tea pot and display your flowers in it. Having these things around will elicit positive and nurturing memories. Revel in the memories, and happily, you will create more moments/memories. I guarantee that special something will bring you joy all year long. And, If Grandma’s tea cup breaks, there is always your child’s pottery project to take its place.