What Not-Flashy Things Do You Love?

My neighbor and I love spending time at yard sales. This past week, we visited one held by a church. While browsing the kitchenware, a box labeled ‘recipes’ caught my eye. When I opened it there were over a hundred recipe cards, all meticulously typed and laminated. The box had a simple label: ‘Untested.’ I thought a lot about the previous owner, imagining the time and care they must have poured into organizing this collection, even adding their own handwritten notes and occasional ingredient substitutions. It spoke volumes about their passion for cooking and entertaining family and friends. I felt a sense of connection to this unseen person and brought the box home, very excited to explore the recipes and, in a way, finish the culinary journey they started.

If you would have asked me 4 months ago before my beloved Dad suddenly passed, I would have said any number of things – but now it a post-it note that I found in a box of my old college stuff that said “Great job Emily, Love Dad”. I was trying to declutter my office to focus on something, anything other than my immense grief and exhaustion from working to move my Mom to my current city so I can take care of her (my Dad previously did). It felt like my Dad was there with me, just for a second, telling me he sees me and knows I’m trying my best. I have it framed and look at it multiple times a day when I get overwhelmed (which is often). Crying now while I write this, not only from my grief but from remembering what a wonderful person and father he was.

– the mug that i made for my dad when he was diagnosed with glioblastoma, simple and dark green, a way for me to tell him i was always with him. this mug that has found it’s way back to me, after his death, and now tells me he is always with me. – my quilt that is from Brooklinen, now tattered and holey, fully broken in by my dogs – the weird small-headed bear my husband bought me after i sent him a TikTok about how much i loved this weird bear – and lastly, a simple treat – a warmed up date pitted and filled with a couple chocolate chips

I have a weighted, heated blanket, which is the best thing ever!!

I love a holey cashmere turtleneck that was my grandmother’s, or the *perfect* worn-in, oversized denim jacket I scored at a vintage shop. I love my old North Face tent that isn’t modern and lightweight anymore, or very waterproof, but it represents freedom and chosen solitude. I love watching Spring come in: with the finches and phoebes that have nested and laid eggs on my porch, and spotting trillium growing along our weekend trail. I’m loving leisurely full-body embraces with the new sweetie I’m dating.

When I need a little comfort, or return home from a long day, toast with a little sprinkle of cinnamon and brown sugar takes me back to sleepovers with my grandmother and she would make us “special toast” for a treat at night when we watched tv together.

This is my first comment for Cup of Jo, but I just had to chime in on this one because I often think about how a simple homemade rice bag (sewn cloth bag filled with rice that you can heat up in the microwave) is one of my favorite things. I live in a cold damp climate, often to go bed at a different time than my husband, and it makes bedtime so cozy. My 15-year-old son loves them too.

Oh my, I have so many beautiful (non-expensive) things but my very favorite are the sentimental things. -My mug collection. I switch them out seasonally and many of them are thrifted or gifted. They remind me of family and friends. -I always envied quilts but never had one. One day, when I was picking up an extremely heavy bookcase, I realized I forgot a moving blanket. The woman was kind enough to give me a beautiful old quilt, full of blues and whites. I think of this kind stranger often. -My boyfriend and I have been making cards for one another. I have several of the ones he’s given me frame around my house. -I had a stained glass, small cow that used to hang in my grandparents farmhouse. It makes me think of when we’d visit them growing up.

I loved reading these so much. I feel like lately I’ve been in a season of comparison – wishing my house was bigger and less cluttered, wishing my wardrobe was more updated, wishing I was able to spend more time working out, generally falling into the trap if “if I just had X, surely I’d feel like a different and better person!” Reading these made me realize there are so many non-flashy things I love about our cluttered, chaotic, busy, parents-to-a-wild-2-year-old life! – When my daughter asks me to climb in her crib with her at bedtime to snuggle (specifically for the duration of one “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”) – Hanging out in our imperfect front yard for hours on end, pushing her in the swing while my husband putters in the garden and our two aging dogs bark at everyone that passes – Weekly dates to swim laps with my best friend (read: slowly, slowly paddle back and forth in one lane together while we chat) – Morning iced coffee with the best creamer (Trader Joe’s Brown Sugar Oat Milk) in my favorite mug, a green striped one made by my ceramicist SIL – Answering approximately 8,000 questions a day for my 2-year old (generally in the vein of: what is that thing? What is that noise? What’s his name? What that do? What I doing, Mama?) – Finding and rewearing a perfect pair of pants at least 3X a week (currently: Everlane Utility Straight Leg Pants in Bone)

My percale duvet cover I bought in Germany at a “diggers delight” type warehouse where you bought by the kilo. It’s perfectly soft and cool, and makes my duvet perfect for naps for me and my pooch,. If I can’t get to sleep, I pull it over me knowing its coziness will lull me to sleep. I’ve had it for 27 years, so it has some places where it’s getting thin, but I’ll continue to use it old and tattered. DH calls it my security blanket.

My boyfriend is my favorite non-flashy thing. He owns a niche garage and they restore vintage cars to perfection. When a client wants a new stereos in their classic, he obliges and adds their 8 track player to a display in his office. He was very entertained by my Apple Watch on one wrist and fitness tracker on the other, compared to his steel Seiko. The Yeti I gave him, because driving his big truck with a ceramic mug made no sense to me. His couch is the perfect place to take a nap, the Dr.Bronner’s peppermint soap is what I now buy for my own house. He’s plain-spoken, not fancy and likes me as I am. Took me until my 40’s to know non-flashy is where its at!

This reminds me of a simple and true line from Eileen Myles’ fantastic poem, “Peanut Butter,” which is about lots of things, including peanut butter, but (maybe) mostly about her longtime husband: why shouldn’t something I have always known be the very best there is. And here’s the whole poem, if anyone is interested! https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/54620/peanut-butter

1) A metal first aid box from my childhood home in the Alaska wilderness. It has a bullet hole through and, damn, if it isn’t the finest makeup “bag.” 2) A thrifted chambray shirt 3) Black and white photos of my grandparents looking every bit like movie stars in their stiff jeans and slicked hair

Really soft, squishy Hanes ankle socks. It was $14 for a six pack or so from Target (back when I shopped at Target) and I balked at buying them for myself because for some reason that sounded like a lot for socks for me (though I wouldn’t have given it a second thought for my husb. or kids). But then I bought them and ahhh, how many little disappointments of the day would be less than blips if we gave ourselves permission to spend $14 for a pack of actually comfortable socks.

Toads. But they are flashy. Look into their eyes. They are the most beautiful metallic gold.

The Hanes grey men’s sweatshirt that my husband (then boyfriend) gave me almost 20 years ago on a whim because it was marked down to $5. It is the ~perfect~ weight, slouch, and inside nubbly-ness that only an older sweatshirt can offer. Basic, screw-top Nalgene water bottle. No finicky crevices, goes in the dishwasher, and never leaks. Dove white bar soap. Err, “beauty bar.” Whatever you call it, it’s the most perfect soapy smell and I adore opening a fresh bar every few weeks.

We seldom buy anything for our apartment that’s new. Almost everything is antique or secondhand, and even the few things we did buy new, long ago, are “vintage” now. The Persian carpets arrived old and worn, our furniture has scratches and dings, our picture frames are chipped, the antiques are always kind of wonky, and our five cats occasionally like to sharpen their claws, of course. Nothing in our place is perfect, and what a relief! When I accidentally broke a handle off my late MIL’s valuable little Wedgwood urn, I realized that wrecking its resale value meant we could keep it forever. Now its condition matches everything else. As Leonard Cohen wrote, “There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.” Accepting and celebrating imperfections, age, and wear is comfortable and comforting, and it’s a transferrable skill. As I write this, I’m sharing our sofa with two sleeping cats and its frayed edges and fading fabric don’t make it less appealing, they make it easier for me to relax.

Right now, I pinch myself when my two-and-a-half-year-old niece asks for “tea in a lellow cup,” which she has come to expect as an activity that we do together (it probably doesn’t hurt that it’s a rare opportunity for her to have some honey). We have actual legitimate tea parties (with decaf earl grey), and I want to mentally snapshot every second of each and every teatime, with her little toddler hands clutching the smallest yellow cup I can find, so happy and proud. As for things, two little things from Japan are some of my favorite possessions: – A 4 x 2″ sticker that my best friend bought on her honeymoon there and gave me as a thank you for letting her and her husband park their car at our house while they flew out of my city. I framed it, and its hanging in my bathroom. – A $5 Muji aluminum card holder that I use as my wallet, which I bought in an airport Muji in Hong Kong on a whim in 2017. (The thick one: https://www.muji.us/products/aluminum-card-holder?variant=41654665511102)

My favorite non-flashy things: 1. My grandmom would recycle her old cotton saris by layering 3-4 of them to make thin blankets for our tropical winters. The cotton wears off to a perfect softness and sheen. I still have a couple of these and every time I snuggle in one, it feels like I am getting a giant hug from my late grandma. 2. My daughter’s paddle hairbrush (I think it’s from Claire’s – it was a gift) which I stole from her. It’s pink with polka dots and hearts, and the perfect weight and length for our fine, long hair. I thought I left it behind on a spring break vacation and almost broke down when my husband found it in his bag. 3. My mom’s old silver necklace with a floral pattern… it’s oxidized and tarnished completely so it’s literally lost its flash, but sometimes it catches the light just so and you see a sparkle of silver. Perfection.

Wow! This post really caused me to think and recall that I have lots of things that I cherish but don’t really realize. 1) I have old, thick clear jar with the suction top that my mom used to store hard candy in every Christmas. I now use it to store cottons balls. I’m sure it’s vintage. 2) I use an old Gerber burp cloth to protect whatever surface I’m painting my nails on. It’s probably 25+ years old but it’s the most perfect, absorbent cloth for catching polish spills, glitter, or whatever trendy product I’m using on my nails. 3) I HAD a yellow hairbrush that my child school friend gave me that I adored. It was firm with a long handle. Perfect for taming flyways. A family member took it by “accident”, and I haven’t seen it since. Truly, some items only get better with time.

Gentle kisses or blowing tiny raspberries on my husband’s neck on a daily basis. Keeping an eye out for visiting deer, rabbits, foxes, pheasants in my garden. Loving that my stairs are even in number (I take them two at a time, and I am conscious of this in houses I frequently visit, not just my own). Crooning and murmuring sweet nothings to my plants as I water them.

Harry the orange teddy bear hamster that technically belongs to my 8yo twins, but that I truly love. Didn’t see that coming! I swear he’s a literal angel. For the low price for $22.99. He loves being held and being put in any big pockets, never runs away and honestly just kind of stares into your soul like a little intuitive. I feel like maybe I’m not supposed to care that much about him but he’s just so sweet. When Petco told us hamsters live 2-3 years it made me think, well we’d better enjoy him! We buy him little dried fruits and edamame at Trader Joe’s, and there’s nothing that calms a person quite like watching a hamster clutching his precious little banana chips. Little pets!

Reading this comment thread is like wrapping myself up in the best blanket with cup of tea and a good book…so comforting. Here are mine: – My morning coffee mug, a giant stoneware mug from my favorite bakery in my favorite vacation spot that I went to every single summer as I was growing up – My daytime tea mug, which my husband gave to me for our anniversary and says “after 14 years I still just want to touch your butt.” It has a silly cartoon on it and makes me laugh every day – My morning oatmeal, made using a super quick and easy stovetop recipe, and that I eat almost every morning – Seeing my dogs asleep in the same small dog bed together in front of the fire – The smell of marshmallows through the bag. My kids laugh at me, but I love to pick up a big bag of marshmallows and just smell it whenever we walk past them in the store, even if we’re not buying them…

My great grandma made me a quilt when I was 13 for no reason at all and I love it.

I am a therapist that uses Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT). It hasn’t taken off much in the US although it is widely practice in the UK where it was started. A core tenant is that we have three main emotion regulation systems (threat, drive and soothe). Living in the west we spend a lot of our time in threat and drive but this post and comments just created the best list of ways to turn on one’s soothing system. I can’t wait to use these ideas to help inspire clients!

The view of my tiny enclosed terrace with its rescued plants and succulents and its potted citrus trees that are blooming and scented right now. And every week in spring I put a jug with freshly cut garden flowers on the table – this is the view from my desk and I love it, every day anew.

I love my plain white, very stock Tacoma truck. It’s not lifted, doesn’t have oversize tires or a cool rack & camper. I live in the mountains and this functional, but not fancy at all vehicle suits our lifestyle perfectly. I also love my wedding ring. It’s a band of 14K gold with a shape like a rolling wave with the calm pool of green water in the center. It was custom made for me and fits me to a tee – no diamond, no flashy engagement ring, just a solid unbroken circle with a shape that I can drop my right thumb into in moments of worry and feel the unbroken love that has filled my heart for the last 28 years.

Collecting stickers and pins. Also clippings from magazines and newspapers. I have this New Yorker one from 2021 hanging above my desk: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/10/11/the-stress-free-family-meal-plan?_sp=b11348c8-ace0-42c4-bef5-b26f197356eb.1745598560643

My husband had a bunch of old boxers he was getting rid of. I stole all of them and now I use them as PJs! They aren’t a cute pajama set but they are so extremely comfy.

My two-year-old wild man collapsing in my lap at the end of the day and letting out a big sigh as I give him soft tickles on his bare back. Shuffling around the kitchen island while my stunningly smart, intuitive and gorgeous14-year-old woman child and I make dinner together. Watching my older children love my younger children. Laying in bed with my husband at night and feeling his hand on my back as I fall asleep.

I use a thick quahog clamshell I found on Sanibel Island as an earring dish, and the simplicity of it makes me feel like Anne Morrow Lindbergh in Gift from the Sea.

I have two things: 1. My backpack. It has seen me through part of high school, college, a move to China, and various travel since then. We’re going to Italy this summer and my husband and I were discussing carry-ons. He offered me his larger, newer backpack, but I’m sticking with my 25 year old bag. I just found my Chinese visa from 2006 in there. 2. Our Dutch oven. Man, I love that thing. Soup, stew, a roasted chicken, sourdough…works for everything.

After having a major brain surgery, my friend bought me a beautiful wooden spoon. I had told her that I longed for the day when I could answer “nothing much” when someone asked what was going on- so the card said “here’s to all the nothing much days you have ahead of you”. Over a decade later and my heart still feels so full when see it.

I love the little dish I inherited from my husband’s grandmother that sits on my bedside table to hold jewelry at night. It has a tiny chip and flowers painted on it, as if you didn’t already know that.

I have a rainbow coffee mug I got off a free table years ago. I instantly loved it so much and it makes me happy to drink my coffee out of it every morning. I work in a school setting and a few years ago kids started commenting on my cool Harry Styles mug. https://www.ebay.com/itm/116055731516

2 things in particular jump to mind! My hot water bottle (well I have a few!). I know there are heated blankets, rechargeable warmers etc nowadays but I still love a hot water bottle. It brings back memories of being a child and living in a house with no heating apart from the coal fire in the living room. My Mum would always put hot water bottles in our bed to warm it up and it was just the loveliest cosiest feeling. Nowadays I tend to use them more for stomach cramps and aches and pains but it still brings me back to being a child. The other thing is my slippers. They were my late Father in Laws and when we were staying at his house waiting for him to die, I started wearing them. and I just love them. They are what we in Scotland would call “Tartan Baffies” and they are so cosy. Also because they are a couple of sizes too big I can wear big woollen socks with them if I want. I will be very sad when they finally fall apart.

Making my bed every morning. Not part where I actually make the bed but the part where I come home to a made bed. I think Kelsey Miller wrote somewhere (here? or on IG?) that making your bed is a coping mechanism for beginners and I’ll second that. Creating a little order in a chaotic world.

Sandwiches.

My grandmama never wore pants in her life. She wore a corset that we could feel when we hugged her, a dress, an apron, and sturdy shoes. She kept her hair cut in a short bob and never wore makeup. Besides her wedding ring, she occasionally wore a broach. She had the softest cheeks and, when she served ice cream, she open the small end, slid the ice cream out, and cut it with a knife. Her dresses were most often made of a heavy poly material that was washable, in her ringer washer, and sturdy. I have a quilt she made from scraps of those dresses. It’s not organic or natural in any sense of the word and the backing is red, white and blue plaid. And I’ll treasure it forever.

Ohhh! This post is everything to me because I finally feel that someone “gets” that I like nonflashy things. In no particular order: pens that were given to me on special occasions (by my favourite uncle when I left my home country for grad school, by my mentor when I started my first independent position, and recently, one that I inherited from my father after he was gone) hand knitted sweaters made lovingly by my mum (my one reason to look forward to winter) my favourite blue collared-shirt that I wear when I need a bit of extra luck at work my white comb that I’ve had for ever a stand-mixer that I inherited from my mum (she bought it second hand in the 1970s, it’s older than me!) a navy blue silk outfit of my mum’s. I remember her wearing it and I love wearing it on special occasions now cherry blossoms and magnolia blossoms that usher in spring in my part of the world. The loveliness of it takes my breath away year after year watching my kid eat an ice cream cone on hot days a morning cup of tea on weekends… I think I’ll stop here.

I love the library, going on a big walk, a cup of tea and checking the garden, taking a picnic out somewhere or sitting on our local beach after a walk in the morning with a flask of coffee , portable chairs and hopefully banging into a friend or maybe having a swim .

My husband and I share one car. It’s a tiny Twingo 2 that only has doors in the front and gets uncomfortable to sit in after about 20 km. Over the years, it’s taken quite a beating, it’s covered in stickers, one door has a dent in it and the inside is destroyed from (somehow) shoving pairs of skis, bikes, and/or dogs at various times. We mostly use it on weekends and holidays (bikable city!) and every time we think about buying a new one… and then we don’t. Neither one of us wants to change it enough that we’re ready to spend money on it. I love that I don’t have to baby it and that I don’t care if it gets scratched, and my doctor husband loves the looks of surprise he gets when he shows up to a coworker hangout with it, lol. Tiny non-flashy unkempt cars for the win!!!!

A hot cup of Barry’s Irish tea with just a drop of milk. The way our Saint Bernard Moby leans into you to say, “Welcome home. I missed you.” When a book I preordered months ago arrives, like a present from my past self. The anticipation of these days, waiting for the first peony to bloom. When I drop my son off at school or practice and he turns and signs I Love You (happens about 40% of the time). When I desperately need lip balm, dental floss, mints or a hair clip and actually find the needed item in my bag. Also happens about 40% of the time.

The overnight oats + chia I have for breakfast every single day. It is such an unglamorous, functional meal but I still get excited each morning and truly love eating it!

I heard this today. “The universe doesn’t have your back. The universe just is. But it’s ok. Because someone who loves you has your back. And that’s enough ” All this week I’ve been thinking of how lucky I am to have my husband. Life has been particularly hard and it’s left me feeling vulnerable and afraid of what’s next. I’ve felt grateful that because of his good job and insurance I can follow my heart (crappy pay, no benefits). He does so much for me, little (bringing me home new trail running shoes today, I hate shopping), and big, (being understanding when I backed into someones car). Building me new garden boxes so I can still garden with a bad back. And a new peony plant. Saying yes to more hens (that live in our house right now- pure chaos). I’d rather loyal, faithful, kind and caring than flashy. His neck still smells really good to me. That’s enough.

I love my daily driver backpack. I did a bunch of research to find one that held all my stuff but felt very ‘me’. Lotta options with bro-y vibes or too many technical straps and pockets, y’know? Mine is navy blue with two zippers at the top: a big one to stash the essentials (sketchbook, laptop, overstuffed pen pouch) and a smaller one with a pocket bug enough for a wallet and keys. No weird floppy strappy things, no water bottle side pouches. Everything I need to lug around!

My yoga mat. It’s seen me through a lot over the last 20 years – countless moves, grad school, new jobs and old boyfriends, marriage and a baby. It’s perfectly broken in, just the right balance of firm and cushy, and I hope to use it for the rest of my life. (It’s the Manduka Pro and it gets a weekly bath).

Freshly folded laundry and clean sheets. Bonus if they were air dried in the sun.

My giant plastic hospital mug with the straw from giving birth. 2.5 years later I still sleep with on my nightstand every night – yes, I tried the Stanley, but it’s so heavy and just doesn’t compare to the trusty hospital mug. Now I’m pregnant with my second, and legitimately excited to get a second one.

I have never been a big re-reader; I love books, but I am always on to the next thing–my favorite book is always the next one. However, there have been a few stressful times when I have wanted the comfort of reading and have not had the energy/resilience/bandwidth to actually manage a new story…and then I will just read the same thing over and over. Again, these are not necessarily favorite books, or even particularly uplifting books. I couldn’t even tell you if they are objectively “good” books: they are just the books that are to hand when the stress peaks and I need some self-soothing. Once, living outside the US, I read the only English-language novel I could get my hands on every month for a year. During the pandemic, it was an interchangeable trilogy of young adult (!) fantasy (!!) books that always seemed to be available for remote download remotely even while the library was closed to in-person visits. Bogged down in this current, crazy political climate with a job I hate, I just finished a raggedy paperback from one of the Little Free Libraries in my neighborhood and immediately turned back to page 1!

In the same way people cherish clean sheets on a bed, I *adore* getting a new toothbrush. Oh. My. Word. So lovely in my mouth. Bristles so firm. Teeth feel so good.

I prefer most things once they’ve lost their “flash.” My Netflix queue looks like it belongs to a grandma—British murder mysteries with a side of Meg Ryan rom coms—and I will wear the same shoes, jacket, and purse until they fall apart. But my favorite example is probably my sweet husband. When we met, I was coming off of a crush on my friend who is French and was training to be a surgeon. My now-husband was an old soul who still preferred paper newspapers (we were 19!) and bought all his clothes at Kohls. He was and is perfection just as he is.

Much to my indie music snob surprise, my favorite music to play during the day when it’s just me and the baby at home is 40s-50s musicals and 90s Disney (plus Moana because I do have a beating heart — if the wind in my sail on the sea stays behind meeeeeee).

My manual toothbrush!!!! Hot take: electric toothbrush doesn’t do anything special except keep you brushing for the full 2 minutes! I use a 2 minute timer

A few years ago, Costco sold the ugliest pajamas that are absolutely perfect: soft, thin, lightweight, not too long ( I’m short). They’re black with white hearts. I bought 5 pair because they were so cheap and I wear them every night. The other day my 5 yo daughter asked why I only have one pair of pjs 😅

Indoor plumbing. Hot and cold potable water on tap, showers, and flush toilets. Not flashy, but I love them dearly. (Can you tell I woke up to a plumbing emergency today?!)

Hot water…I mean, have you all read books from centuries past? People used to have to haul in and heat their water on the stove or over a fire for a bath, and I can have it on demand with the flick of a lever. Incredible! Also, when I was in junior high, I bought a three-pack of picks for combing my hair. One was teal, one hot pink (it was the early 90s, after all; think “Saved By the Bell” colors), and one black. The black one is the only one I still have, and I comb my hair with it after every shampoo. I hope it will last till I’m gone.

Treasure is a strong word, but I was just telling my sister today how my most beloved purchases are my menstrual disc and bidet and it’s a shame that I can’t shout about either from the rooftops. (For interested parties, the disc is Nixit and the bidet is very cheap and basic Ecobidet and I strongly endorse both.)

That space on the side of my kids’ faces where their cheek meets their temple, you know the spot right beyond the eye where you brush their hair aside? I’m not a super touch-feely person but I’m preemptively mourning the day they’re too old for me to kiss them right in that spot.

The library. I just love how much joy being at the library has always given me. I’m pretty lucky because they’re everywhere and free!

this is free-the smell of orange blossoms from our backyard trees.

My late-afternoon tea ritual (and my collection of mugs, made by local ceramists). Anytime between 3 and 5 pm, I brew a pot of green tea, pre-heat my mug, grab a treat, and enjoy in the patio. It’s an absolute non-negotiable for me to create this space in the day – no matter where I am – to pause, sit, and recharge. I have a 5 month-old baby and feared I would lose this practice once she was born, but now I include her, strapped to me in a wrap – her little breaths against my chest, my heart soothed by the sheer beauty and intention of it all.

I walked out of the dentist Monday, after having a filling replaced. Dentist numbed me soooo much and, yet, I walked out of there smiling with no droopy face. No sign of anything. I called my two sisters in other states to tell them and when I got home my husband also excitedly said the same thing happened at his appointment last year with our dentist. At almost 40, being impressed by your dentist’s numbing skills is a thing.

I love my grandmas old potato masher utensil! It always falls apart because it’s so old but I glue it back together and keep on using it

The nose smudges on my car window from my pup who passed away- I’ll never wash that particular window. My Yeti water bottle covered in stickers of places and things I love. The sound of the heater or air conditioner clicking on. I grew up in a house with a coal burning stove and I will never get over how comforting an HVAC really is.

Everyone in the world deserves that one pair of sweatpants where the elastic waistband has loosened to the point of being just the right amount of snug. You can’t buy them (I’ve tried), so they can only exist by being loved for years.

My younger cat comes running to the front door when I come home, trilling and her little belly swinging. Then she will stop and flop on the ground in front of me and roll around showing me her belly and chirping. I love how excited she gets to see me and that she lets me pet her most vulnerable spot.

My most treasured thing is also maybe one of my grossest things (even though I think it’s beautiful) — the stuffed Humpty Dumpty my grandmother made me when I was a baby that I still sleep with to this day (I’m 28). She had cancer at the end of her life and was dying when I was about to move off to college at 18. On my last visit to her, she asked if I would take Humpty with me, and she lovingly but firmly told me, “don’t do that, you’re too old!” I told her of course I was taking it with me! She died a week later and I spontaneously spoke about Humpty at her funeral. I can’t wait to make humpties for my own kids one day. It’s the only possession I have that would leave me absolutely gutted if something happened to it! A really awesome post about readers’ different stuffies/lovies/”transitional objects” and how they’ve held up over the years would be so cool, CoJ!

I happened upon a black nylon and mesh Gap swim bag on major sale, it has been my swim bag now for 5 years! Also for any swimmers out there I listen to music while swimming on this DELPHIN 2.0 WATERPROOF SMART-PLAYER FOR SWIMMING lifechanging and the sound is incredible! https://www.underwateraudio.com/pages/the-delphin-2?gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIlObF4d3xjAMVEhBECB000BQ7EAAYASAAEgLVK_D_BwE&tw_adid=674741845877&utm_campaign=%7Bcampaign_id%7D&utm_medium=ppc&utm_source=google&utm_term=underwater%20audio%20delphin

My favorite coffee mug is has a tie dye pattern on the outside and a green peace sign in the bottom. I bought it in the Barnes and Noble Cafe twenty or so years ago when I was an employee there. It is such a cheerful item, it’s the exact right volume and the handle is the perfect shape. Speaking of coffee, rather than buying a travel mug for the car, I always carry my morning coffee in a regular mug and drive to work one handed because it tastes better in ceramic. Many many people have expressed alarm at this and suggested that I get a travel mug. But my mom has always done the same thing, brought a regular, open mug of coffee in the car and I learned the proper hold from her to avoid spilling it everywhere (firm grip, loose wrist). I love that we have this super specific, kind of weird thing in common