These are important to me as gifts from my sister who passed away a few weeks ago. She gave them to me when I was 8 or something, and I’m 36 now. They are supposed to be for good luck & improved studies.

One time I found the most circular rock I’d ever seen. About 2.5" wide, 1/2" thick, smoothly worn by the ocean. It was a pale gray rock with dark speckled pits. It was like a cartoon moon. I took it from the beach, intending to keep it as a souvenir of the trip. It never made it. It was accidentally thrown out in the chaos of leaving a hotel.

I stole that rock from it’s ocean view home and sent it to a landfill. It was just a rock and it tears me up unnecessarily.

My dad’s pool stick.

He struggled with addiction until the end. In the depths of alcoholism when he was selling everything to have money for it, he didn’t sell that. Even after the pool table was gone, he had no home, no money for food… Never sold it.

I’ll never part with it. It’s the thing that reminded him of what he had at one point. The life. The Business. The family.

I have my great grandmother’s tea kettle. One of my earliest memories was at her house using it to fill the bird bath in her garden. I used it regularly until it developed a leak. Now it just sits on a shelf in my office.

3 homemade tractors that my mom’s uncle made before he died (IIRC in 1984). 1.5, 3, and 12 horsepower, so not really useful machines for any work, but they have meaning. If anyone comes across a “Pearl” tractor let me know, there are about a dozen out there (if not scrapped) that he made and I want the rest.

I’m a hoarder who refuses to buy more stuff because I can’t bear to part with the stuff I’ve got. So all of it, I guess?*

But if you want a simpler answer, there are a couple of old stuffed animals that I’d mourn as much as I would a living pet, so probably those. They’re a lot lower maintenance than an actual pet though, which is a big plus.

* Actually I can think of a few things that I don’t want, but they need to be disposed of properly (broken electrical; dead batteries) and I don’t really have the means to do that.

My polaroid photo album because it has pictures of people, pets, lived experiences that made me happy when I was struggling with life.

And my Lord of the Rings Medal that I received when completing a work-out challenge from a company called The Conqueror Challenge. I was going through a breakup and was dealing with depression that time; depression made me rot in bed all day with no motivation to do anything. But I still needed to get my body moving, so I paid the company $50 to help me motivate me to work out because I wanted the medal; it has a really nice design and I’m a LOTR fan. Now, I view the medal as resilience.

Just one? Hmm. Plaid flannel pyjama bottoms that used to be a friend’s, but who lost her battle to against cancer years ago. They’re comfy AF, and the perfect ingredient to any day off, just like she was.

I have an old tie from my late grandfather, that was part of his uniform while working for the railways. My entire family is basically a rail family, as I’m the third or even forth generation working for the railways. At that time, working for the railways was deemed prestigeous, it gave you a status and a sense of pride and public duty. Since my grandfather played without a doubt the most influential role in my life and shaping me as I am today, being the only person in the world always there for me, unconditionally, this tie is something I have to remember him, and also kind of a passed legacy for me to continue towards our shared professional passion…

Fuck it, I’m literally sobbing right now…

I’ve got a plush doggie that my grandmother gave me when I was around 3, he never left me, still got him at 38 years old. His eyes were changed along the years as I kept on losing them, but it’s still a reminder of all those years and of her. He sits on the shelf in front of my bed, so even know he’s always watching me

My Leatherman Wave and my olive green Shemagh scarf are both close to 20 years old now so would be quite a bummer to lose either one of them. The Leatherman already almost got stolen once.

I don’t really have one. I moved countries a coupe years ago and did a very good purge on things I didn’t actually need.

My PC. I built it and spend so many enjoyable hours gaming with it. If my apartment was on fire, it would be first on my list of rescue, followed by my g/f’s cat, then my g/f.

Stuffed animal i got as a gift bought from the hospital when born is basically just a head now planning on sewing out onto another stuffed animals body.

A corner hutch from my great-grandmother.

A first edition “From here to Eternity” that I found in the corner hutch while visiting my great-grandmother.

A set of hand drawn and colored fashion drawings the previous owner of my great-grandmother’s house did that I found in her attic when I was playing up there as a kid.

Grandfather’s handmade metal spoon and chop sticks that he made in Korea during the war.

Louisville Stoneware Marine Corps decanter and cup set the my grandfather gave my parents when they got married.

My first Leatherman.

A small yellow teddy bear wearing a bib that says “My First Bear” that my aunt gave me when I was born.

And the list goes on. A majority of what decorates my abode that isn’t LEGO’s is sentimental stuff.