SOUVENIRS OF SUMMER

It’s possible that we have a drinking problem. 

I am a memory hoarder. In addition to taking zillions of photos I also have a strong need to clutch onto every souvenir, scrap of ephemera, receipt, list, or memento as if doing so will somehow slow down time. As a kid I would fill boxes full of anything and everything I came into contact with and fill book after book with journal entries. Whenever we traveled anywhere with my family I would beg for any kind of souvenir – a tshirt, a button, a patch, a pencil — anything. Even things that were meant to be consumed, like a bottle of soda with a fancy label or a sack of candy that looked like rocks, or sent, like postcards or letters, would be preciously wrapped, sealed, and stored away to reminisce over at a later time.

Eventually I became tired of toting shit boxes around and, before moving into our new home, I finally sorted through box after box after box of collected crap limiting my memories to one medium sized bin.  I won’t lie, the process of letting go was really hard, but also extremely liberating. One day I hope I can apply this mentality to everything else — life, my shoe ‘collection,’ lingering baggage, etc. Baby steps.

For now I approach souvenir collecting like a recovering addict: I only buy/save things that we need, are useful, can be consumed, or are tiny. Everything else is photographed then tossed or recycled. This does not mean that my hands won’t unconsciously stow away things like lobster bibs, pencils, and wet wipes, but knowing my hoarding tendencies I tend to avoid collecting anything except magnets, ornaments, and on rare occasion a tiny pig figurine (long story). My favorite souvenirs now are usually somewhat practical — like vintage cooking or housewares that we use on a daily basis or small posters to decorate our home whenever we finally decide to frame our prints…or for that matter, paint our walls… I also love finding unique jewelry when we travel or bringing back interesting foods or wines (and apparently moonshine) that we can share with friends and family or give as gifts. It’s a way of sharing the memory rather than keeping it boxed up under lock and key.

This summer’s souvenirs represent all the time spent with family — digging for rocks at Lake Lanier, coming up with silly games with my nieces and nephews, and lots of home cooked meals. We attended a wedding, took a New England road trip, explored tiny towns, ate lobster, and spent a lot of time outdoors gardening, hiking, camping,  exploring farmer’s markets, grilling out, and sitting around a campfire.

Summer, you have been a good one.