Happy Monday, lovely readers! I hope you had a nice weekend. Mine was off the charts as I celebrated turning 35 with my loved ones. It was an epic birthday filled with love. I am blessed beyond measure.
It was also a monumental weekend because of an event — which at first appeared superficial, but ended up being very profound. I sold my car after having driven it for sixteen years! I didn’t sell it because it broke down or anything even remotely close to that. It was just time. My green tank was extremely reliable and had driven me around town through all the traffic, freeways, and streets without any major problems whatsoever. All these years, I never got a new car because, frankly, I didn’t want the montly payments. Rather, I chose to spend my money on traveling, shoes and experiencing life. Yet, at some point, you have to let go and move on.
I got a little emotional as I was cleaning the car out and driving it one last time. It was a surreal feeling. After all, it’s just a piece of metal. So strange. Then, I realized that this car has been the most enduring close “relationship” I have ever had in my life, outside of family. The passenger seat in my green machine has had all my exes sit on it – all of them! That’s kind of crazy when you think about it! You could trace my entire adult life via my trusty car. I guess it’s enough to get anyone a little bit emotional. Yet, it’s just a material thing; There is no real relationship there.
I suppose it’s natural as human beings to attach an emotional connection to physical objects. They embody our memories. But, we can also easily forget and move on to the next shiny object. This is what happened to one of my most cherished childhood dolls: My Cabbage Patch Kid.
Do you remember Cabbage Patch Kids? If you’re a child of the 80’s, you are all too familiar with these pudgy, cloth dolls. They were all the rage for my generation and you just had to have one. If you were lucky, you had several Cabbage Patch dolls because they were each unique. I had a female Cabbage Patch for many years which I named Andrea (pictured below) and I loved her. I am the one pictured with the pigtails, just like my doll Andrea has. Andrea and I were like two peas in a pod. I took her everywhere. Seriously, everywhere. I even remember packing her own luggage when we visited our family in Mexico every year. Now, these dolls look very unusual– a bit weird actually. The common thread is their stout body shapes, squished faces and round, big heads.
Where is Andrea now? I have no idea. I forgot about her all these years. She may be buried in my parents’ garage, but I haven’t thought about her at all. I’ve moved on. It’s so strange how we become so attached to material objects and then we toss them aside for something bigger and better. They’re dispensable.
My car and Andrea the doll are physical manifestations of moments in time. They are tangible objects representing our memories. It’s nice to have these “things,” but, more importantly, it’s wonderful to have the memories. This weekend reminded me to live in the moment but to also not forget the past. We don’t necessarily need objects to remember, but they can help trigger the memories. More than anything, we should be mindful of the blessings in our lives and not take them for granted. You never know when you have to let go and move on.
P.S. Want to see some Cabbage Patch dolls that look even creepier? Check this out!
Photo credit: Cabbage Patch logo, Cabbage Patch Group Dolls – TV Tropes 
