I've very rarely gotten rid of something and regretted it...but that's primarly cause I'm really bad at getting rid of things - even with the ubiquitous internet and the fact it should be reasonably easy to replace any lost item.
I loved my Fit too. Never understood why they weren't more popular in the US.
When my son was entering his teen years and discovered manga and graphic novels, I really regretted having gotten rid of a box that held old Heavy Metal and similarly wide-ranging oddities, as well as a near-complete set (at the time) of the Akira series. Then later ditto for my Magic cards. It's not so much the things that I missed, it was the ability to pull them out and share them - and as well to remember what I felt when I bought those in college. Yeah sure, I could buy any number of collections of Moebius' work, or some of those artists. And I did go back and buy a box set of Gaiman's Sandman series a decade or so ago after missing my originals. But it isn't quite the same, is it?
I've had things, gotten rid of it and sometimes really ( and I do mean really ) regretted it to the point of months or years either buying another 1 or the exact one if the person who had it still had it. Recently if I've done that I've found having it again doesn't always bring back the feeling or memory it had. No wonder my house is always full of things/junk.
However the real memories are printed photographs, letters or small objects I keep and they bring me great joy.
Loved reading this, I also have memory attachements to objects and have wanted to bring them back into my life after saying goodbye. But space is limited so I have to be cautious with that.
I also have purchased items because I have a memory of someone else having it using it, a way to feel connected. I am not sure if it is getting older or if it is the changing world but that longing for connection is getting continuously stronger.
Sooooo love this piece of writing. Similar story does me with my mini that I’ve had from new. Coming up 20 years old in September. Some super extra special connections to it. It’s Gona be hard to set her free 🙏🏾 🙌🏾💥🥊❤️
I have a standard-issue Coleman ceramic mug that I've had since I was 14. My uncle gave it to me. He was an Army Ranger and spent time in Bosnia, Somalia, and Iraq.
My uncle always gave me the coolest stuff around the holidays. We just sort of understood each other. Which I think about a lot. My family always treated him as a bit of a weirdo with problems, which I never understood or thought was fair, then or now. He also had a hard time transitioning after the military. He got a law degree and passed the bar, but then just packed up an disappeared. First into WV, then into Montana. I used to see him all the time, growing up. He lived in town when he wasn't overseas and he'd always be at our house, or my grandmother's. But I haven't seen or heard from him for about 15 years now. No one has.
Jeffery, this one resonates deeply. In 2020; several of my favorite things were taken from me. I wrote about it here: https://www.jeffreymkarp.com/writing/stolen-identity. Reading this iteration, I am now realizing why I can’t trade in the things I bought over time to replace the originals. Have a great week ahead. Jeff
I've very rarely gotten rid of something and regretted it...but that's primarly cause I'm really bad at getting rid of things - even with the ubiquitous internet and the fact it should be reasonably easy to replace any lost item.
I loved my Fit too. Never understood why they weren't more popular in the US.
When my son was entering his teen years and discovered manga and graphic novels, I really regretted having gotten rid of a box that held old Heavy Metal and similarly wide-ranging oddities, as well as a near-complete set (at the time) of the Akira series. Then later ditto for my Magic cards. It's not so much the things that I missed, it was the ability to pull them out and share them - and as well to remember what I felt when I bought those in college. Yeah sure, I could buy any number of collections of Moebius' work, or some of those artists. And I did go back and buy a box set of Gaiman's Sandman series a decade or so ago after missing my originals. But it isn't quite the same, is it?
I've had things, gotten rid of it and sometimes really ( and I do mean really ) regretted it to the point of months or years either buying another 1 or the exact one if the person who had it still had it. Recently if I've done that I've found having it again doesn't always bring back the feeling or memory it had. No wonder my house is always full of things/junk.
However the real memories are printed photographs, letters or small objects I keep and they bring me great joy.
Loved reading this, I also have memory attachements to objects and have wanted to bring them back into my life after saying goodbye. But space is limited so I have to be cautious with that.
I also have purchased items because I have a memory of someone else having it using it, a way to feel connected. I am not sure if it is getting older or if it is the changing world but that longing for connection is getting continuously stronger.
Sooooo love this piece of writing. Similar story does me with my mini that I’ve had from new. Coming up 20 years old in September. Some super extra special connections to it. It’s Gona be hard to set her free 🙏🏾 🙌🏾💥🥊❤️
I have a standard-issue Coleman ceramic mug that I've had since I was 14. My uncle gave it to me. He was an Army Ranger and spent time in Bosnia, Somalia, and Iraq.
My uncle always gave me the coolest stuff around the holidays. We just sort of understood each other. Which I think about a lot. My family always treated him as a bit of a weirdo with problems, which I never understood or thought was fair, then or now. He also had a hard time transitioning after the military. He got a law degree and passed the bar, but then just packed up an disappeared. First into WV, then into Montana. I used to see him all the time, growing up. He lived in town when he wasn't overseas and he'd always be at our house, or my grandmother's. But I haven't seen or heard from him for about 15 years now. No one has.
Jeffery, this one resonates deeply. In 2020; several of my favorite things were taken from me. I wrote about it here: https://www.jeffreymkarp.com/writing/stolen-identity. Reading this iteration, I am now realizing why I can’t trade in the things I bought over time to replace the originals. Have a great week ahead. Jeff