Last week, my mother told me that when I was a child, I always had to touch and smell objects that looked interesting to me. I couldn't pass a fuzzy or shimmery something without touching it, and I couldn't pass a smell-good without taking a whiff. This is still true today. Just this past week, I was in Target and saw a cozy-looking blanket and had to stop and run my hands over the plush fabric. I could spend an entire day at Yankee Candle Company smelling the various candles they stock.
When my husband and I were dating, we popped into a Wal-Mart store one evening. As we walked down the aisles, I saw a huge, almost life-sized teddy bear. Although I wasn't a kid anymore, I paused for a moment to give it a big squeeze. The teddy bear just looked so huggable that I couldn't resist. I didn't say anything else about that bear, I just paused and hugged it, then we walked on.
My husband (boyfriend at the time) lived three hours away from me. I was spending the weekend with him and when I got home and opened my trunk, there was the teddy bear with a bow around his neck and a sweet note attached. My husband has done many wonderful, thoughtful things throughout the years, but that was extra special to me because I didn't make a big deal over the bear and never said I would love to have it, but he somehow thought it meant something to me and slipped back to the store to buy it.
Throughout the years, we've lived in big houses and small apartments. We're had ample storage space and we've had none. I've lugged that bear around with me for almost two decades now. Presently, our storage space is limited even though I've done some serious purging during the past two moves. Some purging was more necessary than others. At any rate, I've let go of some things that I would likely have kept if not for frequent moves and the uncertainty of how much storage space the next house will have.
Storage is tight right now, but I can't seem to part with a teddy bear better suited for a four year-old than a forty year-old. It's not as if it's a display item that I keep out in my home because it's part of the decor. In fact, most people would wonder why on earth I have a teddy bear around because I have no children. My seven year-old niece spent a few days with me this past week. My husband pulled the bear out and she loved it. Just like me so many years ago, she instantly cuddled the bear. I could have given it to her. I would run over burning coals barefoot, throw myself in front of a bus or take a bullet for this kid, but one thing I won't do is give her my bear. I'm seriously considering altering my will and stating that I should be buried with the thing....
Do you have a particular item that you refuse to let go of, no matter how many times the military moves you?
