There’s a line from a romantic comedy: if your house was burning and you only had moments to grab something, what would you take?
Did you ever do that assignment in third grade where you had to do a presentation on the items in your life you treasured the most? They were usually made up of stuffed animals and other favourite toys.
But what about now? Heads up, you can still treasure a stuffed animal that’s of course not limited to the third grade. For a university student in transition from her parents’ house, to a dorm room to multiple student houses, it was time to take a look around and see what my possessions said about me.
Maybe those items we choose to hang on to aren’t really as materialistic as we’d think. I think our laptops would make the top of most lists. We have essays and projects in the works on those laptops. We have photos on those laptops. We connect with the world on those laptops.
I’ll it, there are some posters I picked up along the way that in hindsight, weren’t really me. But amongst the posters we’ve picked up at the poster sale there might be a picture of you and your best friend, your high school graduation, or a selfie from when you had your wisdom teeth out — because parents were never good at being the least embarrassing people in your life.
These aren’t just decorations, they’re the reminders of people who are always there for us.
Then there are those items we’ll never use again, but can’t seem to throw into their rightful place in the trash. My white Keds from last year have taken on too many mud puddles to be considered close to white, or even beige and yet, I’ve walked too many paths with them to part ways now. Call it hoarding or call it holding on to memories, they won’t be leaving my possession anytime soon.
In addition to white Keds and old journals, the piles of Queen’s apparel that have been accumulating from Homecomings and Frosh Weeks would also make the cut. While my coveralls are safely wrapped in a bag where their shaving cream and dirt can’t get out, I would never part ways with them.
As the snow begins to fall and exam season grows ever nearer, the last essential I think we can all agree on isn’t so much an item, as a streaming service. Whether you mooch off your parents’, housemate’s, boyfriend’s, girlfriend’s or best friend’s Netflix , I think we can all agree on it’s sustaining power. It’s not just exam procrastination, some of the best university bonding time has been lengthened when the next episode automatically plays.
But is cherishing your Netflix or a used pair of shoes really that far fetched from loving your stuffed animals the way you did in third grade? I think not, because some things never change.
Some items may look like great fuel for a bonfire to others, but if you look around, you might be surprised by what you couldn’t live without.
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