When I got home from school for my winter break this year, one of the first things I did was unpack. While trying to find places to put all of my clothes and the piles of junk I brought home with me, I came across my memory box. From the outside, it looks like nothing more than a clear plastic box with a bunch of junk in it, but in reality, it is so much more.
My memory box holds bits and pieces of my life that I never want to forget. Notes I used to pass with my best friend in high school, a crush diary I kept when I was in middle school, certificates for different societies and clubs that I was a part of, my lanyard from Disney World that I got when I was 5, holiday cards from families, postcards and notebooks from past boyfriends. Each piece of crumpled paper and random knick knack represents moments of my life or people in my life that I never want to forget. Going through it provokes a rush of emotion. I laughed, I cringed, I frowned, I smiled, I blushed, I cackled, but, all in all, I loved remembering things that I had forgotten.
My mom keeps a memory box for me too. She put stories and artwork that I made when I was younger in it so that when I am getting married or about to have kids of my own someday I can go back and look at the things that I did when I was a kid and see how much I have grown and how far I have come. I can't wait to re-read the novel that I wrote in 5th grade... I can only imagine how well written it must be.
The mind is a crazy thing. It remembers a lot, but it takes looking at pictures, re-reading notes or holding objects in your hands to help you to remember those things a lot of times. That is why keeping a memory box is such a great idea. It is a helpful reminder of your past and you choose which parts to put in it so if there are things you want to forget you don't have to include them. So go out, grab a medium sized plastic box for $10, and start putting in memories that will last you a lifetime. I promise you the memories will be worth the $10 you spent on the box.
