Please Break the Memorabilia

It seemed like it happened in slow motion. The coffee mug fell from the cabinet down to the stone countertop and shattered. This wasn't just any coffee mug - it was a special sheep coffee mug from New Zealand. "The Sheepie Mug" as it was affectionately called. Obtained sixteen years earlier on a very memorable trip. The mug was very special. Very treasured. So special that it was no longer used, lest something happen to it while being handled. But apparently not special enough to be locked away in a protective display case.

As it fell and broke, so did my emotions. Sadness quickly set in. How could I let this happen? How could I be so careless? I recovered in a short amount of time, but I was still a little down. Life goes on. Boring life without the special coffee mug, that is.

Fast forward about a year. Same cabinet, another incident. This time there were two casualties. One was a mug from London that I liked, but wasn't on the "most treasured" list. The other was a mug I got from Rock City some 40+ years ago. It was special because it was old. Very old equals very special. But as I thought about its loss, I realized that I didn't really remember getting it in the first place. Heck, it might not even belong to me. In any case, I should be upset, right?

It was at that point I realized how meaningless these mementos really were. Yes, they were great remembrances of my past, but face it - they're useless. They were coffee mugs. COFFEE MUGS. Ones that weren't even used. Ones just taking up space in a cabinet.

I started thinking about how many things I hold onto because of "sentimental value". I'm not discounting the validity or value of it, but losing the mementos did not rob me of the memories (or lack thereof for the Rock City mug). It made me start thinking of how much else I'm holding on to needlessly.

So, please break the memorabilia. It doesn't take away the memories and can actually feel quite refreshing when all is said and done.

Now I have more space in my cabinet for new coffee mugs from different destinations. No, not really. I have a lot more yet to break before I'll ever need another one. I'm sure by then we'll take our coffee as pills as we ride in our hovercrafts.