I really enjoy mementos — you know, those little keepsakes that you keep hidden away in boxes or tucked away in drawers — reminders of past travels and unique experiences. Anything from ticket stubs to wine corks. Perhaps in part due to my vivid memory and another part, my sensitive soul, I struggle to part with these things. I hang on to them, and then once every year or so come across them and smile fondly as I’m taken back to a night enjoying wine and cookies around a fire with friends.
Clutter is ultimately what this stuff amounts to, right? (I’m nodding at my computer screen right now…) Yes. And I tell myself again and again after coming across my mementos – now you’ve had your “moment” enjoying and reflecting on this memory, time to trash it. Right?
Maybe. But — sometimes it’s OK to hang on to these trinkets and scraps!
When I started dating my husband, I — in true “pack rat” fashion — started collecting items in a box, that I deemed my “Grox” (Greg Box). Included were the usual suspects – a note he wrote to me on our first date, a program from an event we attended at the Dallas Arboretum, plane tickets from trips we took, empty mini-bottles of limoncella we enjoyed, bus passes from cities we visited, postcards we sent to each other, and the list goes on… I kept it all.
For five-and-a-half years I hung on to all that stuff. Opening the box once every few months, to make additions and enjoy some of the memories. It (somehow) survived 7 moves since its inception without losing any contents along the way.
Then, as we approached our wedding day, I started noodling on the perfect wedding gift for my groom. I thought about things he might enjoy: a new guitar? a nice putter or driver for his golf clubs? a fancy set of skis? They all seemed too extravagant and worldly to reflect the importance and magnitude of officially joining our lives together. That’s when my mind wandered to my good ol’ “Grox.” 
Without really intending to, I had created an informal scrapbook of our relationship. And so that’s what I turned the Grox into. I had so much fun letting my creative juices flow, and reflecting on all the joyful, wonderful twists, turns, and adventures that got us to our wedding day. What a fun moment it was to give it to my husband on our wedding day when we exchanged wedding day gifts during our “first look.” 
We love flipping through our scrapbook now — and very cool, thinking how our (future) children will be able to look back at our “love story.” We look forward to adding to the scrapbook for years to come. 
So, if you are guilty of pack-ratting, take heart! And put your creativity hat on. There are tons of cool ways you can put that “clutter” to use in a way you, your friends, and family can treasure for years to come.
Right in your own backyard... 