In a small zippered leather purse that looks like the old-time New York City coffee cups, I carry the following items everywhere I go:
- a cut-out photo of Sophie when she was recently diagnosed with infantile spasms and puffed up due to steroids
- a silk and silver pacifier clip that someone gave me when Sophie was born and is emblematic of that brief time before when sucking on a pacifier was enough to calm her crying
- a New York City subway token -- because I loved living there for the almost nine years I did so
- a dirtied, softened piece of paper with a note from my father that accompanied a check he sent to me for a treatment we wanted to try when Sophie was a baby. This is going to work, it said.
- Several angel charms
- A LOVE charm
- A Flow charm
- A MIRACLE stone
- A bug encased in a marble that I forgot to give one of my boys and decided to keep myself
Reader, what things do you carry?
My magical red fountain pen, a lipstick which is decades old, a check from my dear and deceased father-in-law made out to me for a million dollars, a poem Jessie wrote a long time ago. Pesos.
ReplyDeleteIn my wallet I carry an Italian Lire bill from my first trip to Italy with my brother, a St. Ignatius of Loyola prayer card I received my Freshman year at Loyola, pictures of my Great-Grandparents, my wife, and my son. I also have a picture of my best friend Byron, who died at the age of 30 from Leukemia, some hair from Nick's first haircut, and a small prayer card an Indian monk gave me on one of my trips to India to keep me safe whenever I travel. I just realized that as a fairly lapsed Catholic, I carry a lot of religious stuff around with me, and I also wear a small black coral cross I bought the first day I moved to Belize, but I think they're all good luck charms to me, rather than religious symbols. Or maybe I'm just covering all my bases in case all the shit I did when I was younger comes back to haunt me.
ReplyDeleteFour tubes of lipstick, because I can never find the right one. A tiny, tiny notebook in which I write the things that will make me rich and famous - note, it's tiny. A medal of St. Dympha (patron saint of the mentally ill) and a medal of St. George slaying the dragon. A silver engraved cigarette case that holdes my foodstamp card. A note from my daughter, when she was little that says "you can do it!"...god, I hope I did it. And the ripped off end of the haircolor box so I can remember the number of the one that works best.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, and a band aide...just in case.
oops, forgot this one...2! FREE, yes FREE coupons for a Mrs. Paul's fish product (not that I would ever eat one)valued at $6.99 EACH and they don't even sell Mrs. Paul's in the state of Oregon...gawd!
ReplyDeleteI carry an antique key given to me by my high school girlfriend (!) more than 30 years ago. I carry it every day, on my key ring.
ReplyDeleteThis made me cry. The memories you carry with you.
ReplyDeleteIn my bag: a couple of emergency meds in a lovely soft cloth bag a friend made for me, my specs, a pencil with rubber for emergency sudiko while waiting anyhwere (usually medical appointments), a key ring with a smooth wooden cone, a very old nokia cell phone I use as a torch, a small leather folder with seven passport photographs of my daughter aged 7 - 20, and an out of date metal ID card from the years I worked in a beautiful tropical impoverished African country.
Jesus. Nothing nearly so talismanic. Burt's Bees chapstick and my driver's license in case I get ID'd.
ReplyDeleteThe engraved key chain I gave my dad 25 years ago. His wife gave it to me when he died and I find myself playing with it subconsciously whenever I'm anxiously talking to someone I don't want to.
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ReplyDeleteI carry a tiny ivory Buddha, smiling and with a nice round tummy. He is about the size of my thumbnail and I have had him since I was a teen (a LONG time). His tummy is very shiny because it is nice to rub. He is beautiful and brings me peace.
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