I have a paper plate with a restaurant “receipt” written on it. There’s no way corpo financial would have reimbursed me for a meal where the receipt was written on a paper plate but I kept it as a memento of friends I met at the time.

My high school report cards. (From 1983.)

I’ve a small fractured chunk of cast iron from the first vehicle I replaced an engine in.

I have a flyer for an event that my highschool crush gave me and I jokingly told her I’d treasure it forever.

I guess I’m just not a guy who can go back on a promise like that.

I (a guy) think I still have a small plastic off-brand Lego in my desk. I spent a weekend with my high school crush and we found a bunch of them and had goofy fun with them.

Last I heard she’d moved away, married a woman, and had a successful career in science. I doubt she thinks of me, but I’m glad she did well.

On my first day of grade 8, the science teacher asked if anyone had a bill for a demonstration. I volunteered my $5 bill. He proceeded to douse it in some chemical and torch it, to the amusement of the class. It burned for a few seconds but the bill was unharmed. At first I didn’t spend it because I liked the story, but now I also won’t spend it because it’s the last paper bill I have (all Canadian bills have been plastic for a while).

A router, the kind you use for wood work.

It was my father’s tool, and probably as old as I am. It doesn’t work and parts are no longer available for it. I’ve since bought a new one. But I still have the old one that will never work.

I kept a sachet of artificial sweetener given to me randomly one afternoon by a friend I had a crush on. Neither of us used the stuff, we were just being silly.

I had it for a couple of years and kinda forgot about it, then the friend killed themself and it became unthinkable to get rid of it. Maybe a decade later I could finally bring myself to see it as just a pack of stale chemicals and throw it out.

It’s an egg shaped piece of marble from my mother, which is now sitting on my desk. It used to have a sticker labelled ‘Echt Marmor’ which means ‘real marble’ in german. I think it is older than I am. My mother is still around, but I’ve moved quite far away and this egg is currently my only keepsake.

My deceased mom’s drivers license. Carry it with me in my wallet.

I have the knob off my first oven. When it burnt out my landlord opted to buy a new one instead of getting a new coil so I swiped the knob. It was the oven and stove I taught myself to cook on, I wouldn’t be who I am today of I hadn’t had to spend every night guessing the temp from that worn out knob.

Found a massive pine cone in Rome when I visited about 24 years ago.

Not really sure why I kept it but I did.

I wear a black ring with the initials of a person who I thought would be with me till the day I die. They left me a bit ago but I still wear this as the only gift I ever got from this person. I hope they’re doing good wherever and however they are

A blanket my mom made me that’s as old as me. That blanket kept me warm when I was little and I’ll never get rid of it 😌

A chunk of glass that I found walking to school one day in like 1997. It’s like an inch thick. No idea where it would have came from. If I can find a picture when I get home I will upload it. Now it just reminds me of childhood wonder.