My little box of blues

I was five years old when I found an abandoned shoebox about to be thrown away. I immediately went to my room, got some glitter and tape, and ran to the rescue. In an hour, the once-ordinary shoebox transformed into a colourful home for my invaluable possessions! 

Over the years, whatever I found beautiful and valuable went straight into the box. It was a little box of my treasures, which no one knew of. The box was filled with trinkets of the good times and the bad times that I have never quite wanted to let go of – each a memento of my childhood. 

Even if it is not worth a million dollars, the story behind each possession makes the box priceless, providing a tangible link to my past.

Everyone has a box like this. Some people still use the shoebox that they have been using since childhood and others switch to something a bit more permanent. It could be a wooden treasure box, a special drawer in a table or something even more ornate.  No matter what it is made of, it is what is inside that make it important.

Almost all of the things in it have a story behind it.  There are some things that remind of other things – like the collection of rocks you got from the family trip to Cox's Bazaar so many years ago, the souvenirs of the awesome school trip you had with your friends, the old photographs of when you and your brother did the craziest things, or the stuffed animal that you used to carry around everywhere. 

Some things in the box will always remind you of a loved one. Like your grandmother's pancake recipe, your mother's old necklace or the funny little bracelet your brother made for you with mismatched beads. And there are things that make you reminisce about the very firsts. 

The first rose that your boyfriend ever gave to you, the dinner bill of the very first date or the cheesy letters that you exchanged with him. The handmade cards and the poem that your best friend composed for you, all show how loved you were and how wonderful your memories are. And your collections of stamps, coins and Pokémon cards fondly bring back how fun your childhood has been. 

The little things in the box remind us of the things that moulded us into the people we are today. How each of these things have helped us grow through heartbreaks and sadness and made us see things in a new light. How they have made us laugh and given us hope. It shows us how long we have come and how much farther we have to go. 

By Mormee Mahtab

Photo: Collected