Here’s another organizational tip from me, your GenX older cousin/uncool aunt who hates the word “edit” being used for “houseclean.” Do you have a box/boxes of memories that are out of control or literally falling apart? Here’s a little nudge to find a new box and go through your stuff.
I have always kept a box in which I store the sentimental ephemera accumulated through my half-century of life. The latest incarnation of the box was a Bare Traps boot box, but the glue was drying up and the box was spilling valuables all over the closet. After wrapping it up with making tape for the fourth time, I realized it was time for an upgrade!
The box on the right is Belle Maison Linen Flip Top Box from Kohls. (not an affiliate link) I liked it because it was heavier duty, lovelier to look at, and had magnets to keep it closed. It was also on sale for around ten dollars.
Whenever I change boxes I go through each and every item to see if it still means a lot. Many times I toss things in there that I think are sentimental, but later on I have literally no idea why I held onto it. Example: deflated Mylar balloons. I always keep them but then I rarely remember which birthday or event they were from.
Things I kept:
I was terrible at the violin but felt very grown up. 1981, maybe? That thing that looks like a garbage can was a speaker.
High school graduation, WITH HONORS. Which meant absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of things. I am thankful my mother dissuaded me from 80s-fying my hair that day. That haircolor was natural except for some Sun-in.
My first job was at JCPenney, in a location that no longer exists. This was my last nametag before I left. I always thought the customer service awards were unfair because the only way you received them is if your customer was moved so much that they had to find the store’s office and fill out a form. Not many people did that.
I received this pin for completing 1 year of service at The Disney Store. In a location that no longer exists. I think all Cast Members receive the same pin no matter where they work. I worked there almost 3 years and I only left because I couldn’t get from the Courier-Post to the mall and change into my costume in time for a 6pm shift start. I had to hand in my nametag when I left, but this pin is forever mine.
Speaking of, here’s my final business card from the C-P, an institution that just barely exists. See how teeny-tiny the website URL is? That indicates how much thought they gave to the website at the time. I’d have worked there forever if Gannett didn’t mismanage it into the ground.
BVP and I went to Las Vegas for our 9th anniversary. (Hey, new readers! I was married before!) We saw Penn and Teller at the Rio (a hotel that is barely existing) and this card was given to me during the show. I asked them to autograph it.
Much better. Also shown is my grade school autograph book, a sash from a bachelorette my work friends threw for me in 2012, a duck boat quacker, my grandmother’s rosaries, my rosaries, a photo of my first-ever cat Noelle, a photo of my dog Mickey, and a Minnie Mouse pin from my first trip to WDW when I was six.
This task took me about 90 minutes – it would have been much less if I wasn’t taking photos of things.
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