On the Importance of Souvenirs

How full is your house of crappola? I'm talking stuff you thought you Could. Not. Live. Without. when you bought it, inherited it, talked your sister into giving it to you, or scavenged it from your neighbor's trash bin.
Mine is pretty full. No space left on the shelves. No room at the inn.
So when I go on vacation, I tend to leave the ricky-ticky souvenirs behind, because in addition to trying to conserve money, I simply have nowhere for them.
But I am a sentimental fool, so I have to have something of a place I've visited to take home to cherish, so I can revisit that place whenever I like.
Somewhere along the line, I realized that doesn't have to mean something I've purchased in a shop. Although, sometimes I am tempted by things I see in shops.
I love original art, but that is not cheap, generally. It's a fun challenge to see if I can find a little shop featuring local art work by unknown artists or craftsmen, where I might get lucky and find something unique and cheap. This is especially doable if you take a cruise to the islands, where there is often wonderful artwork for sale at very low prices.
That tempts me, I'll admit.
But since there isn't much more room on  my walls than there is on my shelves, I can't hang up much more art.
AND there's still the matter of wanting to conserve my hard earned money.
So now when I go on vacation, I pretty much stay out of stores, to avoid temptation.
That doesn't mean I don't take home some pretty sweet souvenirs. I just don't pay for them.
Don't worry, the cops aren't going to be after me. I don't pay for them because my favorite kind of souvenir is now a collection of photos I take of my vacation: The place, the people, the scenery, the buildings, the wildlife, the activities, and fun little bits and bobs that catch my eye. Then I print out a few and frame them...which is why my walls are so darned full! Or I make a Facebook album to share.
These photos give me a lot of pleasure, both in creating them and in admiring them later. I'm no pro...some shots are better than others, and some I trash on the spot.
The other thing I love to do is to search beaches for interesting shells, driftwood and beach glass. This entertains me endlessly. (I'm a cheap date.)
I have quite the collection, and was thrilled recently when my daughter Molly brought me a cupful she'd gathered on the shores of the Arctic Ocean in Norway! It includes two broken bits of flowery teacups. Fun fun fun!
So when you go on vacation, don't drag the Eiffel
Tower home with you, except in pixels. Leave the Sears Tower in Chicago, and the Empire State Building in the Empire State.
Take photos. They'll last a lifetime, and can exist only on your computer if you wish.
And look for beach glass. That's for me, honey. Bring it on by, and I'll make you a cup of coffee (or pour you a glass of wine) and listen while you tell me all about your vacation.




Here I am hiking a nature trail on Emerald Isle, N.C. on a recent trip. I left the mosquitoes there, and kept the photo!