I bought this belt while I was serving my mission from a genuine Amish tanner. It is the highest quality belt I have ever owned and even though I had to add two new holes to it to continue wearing it, I refuse to even entertain the notion of going belt shopping. Not that it needs replacing, mind you. Even after over a decade of constant use, it shows only minimal signs of wear.
When Ian returned home from one of his tours of duty, he brought me back a pendant carved out of camel bone. I was surprised since I'm not one for jewelry, but I was touched that he took the trouble to get me something personal. Ever since then, I've worn the necklace as a way of symbolizing my family. I think it's appropriate that when it hangs from my neck, the pendant rest near my heart.
Before I moved to Maryland, I was growing my hair out. It was Allison's idea, but I thought it might be fun and since I was just working a retail job, I figured it wouldn't hurt my job prospects. I had just grown my hair long enough that it was starting to become unruly, so I asked Allison one day if she had an extra hair-tie. She had one on her wrist that she gave me. I got a haircut almost as soon as I arrived in Maryland, but I kept the hair-tie. I now wear it like a bracelet around my right wrist as representation of my separation with Allison, as much our marital separation as our physical separation.
When I first entered the mission field, I bought a nice bracelet-style watch off an Elder that would soon be returning home. It was a nice watch and I got a good deal on it. Afterwards, it was one of only a few things stolen when my parents' home was broken into. I went a while without a watch, not really planning on when, or even if, I would replace it. Allison took the decision away from me when she gave me my current watch as a birthday present one year. It's a Fossil, the same brand and style of the last one, even the same color. It was touching that she paid such close attention to the details, but simply the gift itself was already thoughtful enough.
I have owned this wallet since sometime in high school. It's not that it's in such great condition, like with my belt - it isn't falling apart, but there is at least one seam that's completely missing along with some other areas where it's been beaten up a bit. No, the biggest reason that I haven't replaced it is that I hate wallet shopping. All I want is what I already have, just new. I don't like reorganizing my various cards and identifications, so having a wallet where everything is where it's supposed to be is really convenient.
Of course I carry a cell phone with me. However, I have yet to change over to having a smart phone. I know once I do, there's no turning back, but, honestly, I like having a small phone that fits next to my fat wallet. My current phone makes calls and can send and receive texts, though I can't send pictures from it, even though I can receive them. Huh. Well, it works for my needs.
I really should call it my car key, singular, since there's only one key on this ring. I have a few "shopping club" cards on there, my vial of consecrated oil, my flash drive, and the item that I use nearly as much as my car key: nail clippers (I get a lot of hang nails).
This time it really is keys, plural. I am so paranoid of locking myself out of my apartment that when ever I leave, I catch the door with my shoe until I am physically touching the keys with my hand (which now a move committed to muscle-memory). I keep the house keys separate so that when I go running, I can cut down on extra weight by not having my other keys with me.
When I was a child, I licked my lips so constantly, I would not only chap my lips, but also the area right above my lips, resulting in a patch of red right under my nose that would turn brown as it healed - I remember a handful of times when someone would ask me how I could have a mustache when I was so young. The only solution to stop me was lip balm: not only would the balm taste bad, but it kept my lips moist enough that I didn't need to lick them. Ever since I started going to public school again at age 11, I've made sure to always have lip balm with me. I prefer a particular brand these days, but I usually pull the label off since I like the aesthetic of a plain white tube.
The only time I take my ring off is when I go running. I've lost enough weight since I picked it out that it rattles a bit but it still fits well enough during my regular activities that it isn't worth getting it resized, at least not yet. While it's obvious what my wedding band represents, I'll simply say that I had a particular style in mind when I went ring shopping with Allison in the weeks leading up to the wedding and I was pleased to find exactly what I was looking for with this ring.
So there you have it. Many of the items listed here are practical, some are sentimental, and a few are both. While I am not a materialistic person, these are ten items that I refuse to be without.
1 comment:
Very interesting, though I would say that your vial is not vile.
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