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| A photo from work today. |
Almost exactly 10 years ago I was a 19 year old kid heading off to to college. Going out on my own for the first time I felt so old, so mature. I was enrolled in Boiler Gold Rush; a program where incoming freshmen come to campus a week before the rest of the students to get settled in and meet new people. There were lots of social events and sports. We got a chance to become familiar with the campus before that quickly-approaching, fear-inspiring first day of class. On one of the days at Boiler Gold Rush we had toured the campus under the flimsy guise of a scavenger hunt where we were supposed to compete against the other teams. I had an awesome team leader who spared us the act of running around campus following clues tucked next to land-marks. We made our way to the memorial mall early where we would have lunch provided by the local vendors. They were there to pray on the young people who would keep them in business for the next four to six years. Of course they had plenty of coupons and other swag to hand out with hopes of gaining a patron. We were early so we got our pick. I'm sure I got tons of stuff that day; no fewer than 8 mugs/cups/water bottles. However, the only one I still have is this one, and I use it every day.
I took all my crap from that lunch up to my dorm. This cup set on my shelf the entire year. It probably held pens or coins next to my desk. Unlike a lot of the other stuff this mug never got thrown away. When I moved back home for the summer it came with me. It went to my sophomore dorm room; then back home again; then to my apartment; then home once more; then it made the trip to Arkansas. At some point 6 years ago I took it to work. Ever since it has been sitting right next to my desk ready to hold a refreshing beverage for my enjoyment. I even have the blue lid up in my cabinet at work. The same one that came with it on that late summer day in West Lafayette. That is impressive. Since I've been working it has moved all over corporate with me as I've changed desks and departments. It may not be amazing that I still have a cup from 10 years ago, but what is impressive is that it is one of only a few possessions I owned then that I still own now.
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A photo from 2002 when we moved out of our freshman
dorm room. My cup is front and center. |
When I started thinking about that cup it made me dig deep to try and think of what things I owned when I entered college that I still own now. It is amazing to me how small that list is. We have a dresser in our closet that was from my bedroom back home. That is the only piece of furniture we still have. We've since sold all the rest. I have several cd's that I owned back then... but who listens to cd's anymore. I ripped them all to mp3s when I was in college and I haven't looked at them since. They are somewhere in the house. I have my Ping i3 blades that I got my senior year of high school. It is crazy to think about how big a part of my life golf was back then... and how little it is now. When I first started playing golf one of the reasons was so that I would be decent enough to function in the corporate setting when business golf outings came about. (That is how much foresight and planning I had as young teen.) I've definitely played with people from work, but not nearly as much as I thought I would back when I imagined it. I also grossly overestimated the amount of skill required to fit in on the "business" golf outing; though I wouldn't trade those hours of hitting balls on the Noble Hawk driving range through high school for the world. It was one of the best times of my life.
June 2012 I will have had my car for 10 years. I count that as a huge victory. There are not many people that can say they got their first big-boy job 6 years ago and still drive the same car they did back in college (my first car that was really mine). We've been passively looking for a different car to replace The Gold Steamer, but I really want to make it to the 10 year mark on that bad boy.
So that is it. I own a cup, a dresser, some cd's, and golf clubs. Those are the only things that were mine 10 years ago and are still mine today. I do of course still have the same girlfriend. (Well she is my wife now) Though it is debatable whether she could have been classified as "mine" 10 years ago. Oh. And I'm sure I have a few random articles of clothing. I'm the guy who still has his t-shirt from 4th grade Indiana facts competition AND IT STILL FITS ME TODAY!........ I just took a few moments to think really hard about things I still own from back in the day. I thought of a few small things, but nothing major. I'm sure my mother would be happy to add to the list by giving me all the crap that is in her basement that technically belongs to me.
I am a nostalgic person, but I don't really hang onto stuff. Those people that are on the hoarder shows... I am the opposite of them. I want to get rid of everything. I want to simplify. I want to de-clutter. It always makes me feel good when we sell something, or give it to charity, and I always feel a little bad when we buy something. In ten years from now I will probably still have a lot of the same stuff I have now. That is fine I guess, but I hope I don't have an attachment to any of it. I want to hang onto memories and feelings, not things. Sure the physical items make it a bit easier to reminisce, but I hope I don't become a collector of junk. I've never gone through a house fire, and the thought of is used to seem horrific to me. It still does, but I want to get to a point where I would be okay with all my worldly possessions being destroyed as long as everybody is safe. I know if it happens it will suck, but it won't ruin me. All of our pictures and videos are stored digitally and backed up online. I would hate to lose those memories. Most of the other stuff can be replaced.
For sure my cup has had a really good run these last 10 years. Maybe it is time to throw it away and get a new one. I think that would be good for me.
