Souvenirs Come In All Shapes and Sizes: The best ones help you relive the details of the experience.

Take Pen to Paper: Edition 32

Summer is almost here. Vacation plans are in the works.

How do you document your vacations? With purchases that remind you of the memorable experience? With photos?

Souvenirs are often the stuff of buyer’s remorse. I know where many of mine are. I still have souvenirs from many of these adventures. Small toys and trinkets slowly grew into collectibles, t-shirts, and jewelry.

Looking at my collection of souvenirs tells a story of growing up.

While those souvenirs still bring back memories, I now rely on my writing.

One of my first serious attempts to journal resulted from a special vacation 20 years ago. Before leaving, a friend gave me a blank journal, suggesting I write about the things we did.

The idea of capturing memories as they were happening never occurred to me. The trip we took had been in the works for years. It was our first time going to a different country. Didn’t I want to remember my boys’ reactions? My friend could read about our adventures when we got back.

Now there are two memorable vacations written in the journal. Soon there will be a third.

I have read that journal many times over the years. Every time I read the details of those trips, I smile.

My friend read it. She knew my sons and enjoyed reading about their adventures. My daughter-in-law read it. She loved reading about our family's (and her husband’s) adventures.

I recently went through my childhood jewelry box with my daughter-in-law and oldest granddaughter. My collection spans elementary to high school. It includes my grandmothers’ costume jewelry and, of course, souvenirs.

My daughter-in-law picked up a simple chain bracelet with a book charm. It was a souvenir from my family’s Mammoth Cave National Park trip in the 1960s. I rarely wore the bracelet. As I matured, I wondered why I bought it.

I showed her how it opened, so a row of black and white souvenir photos could unfold.

When my daughter-in-law saw it, her eyes lit up. Her family vacationed there when she was a child! Suddenly, the souvenir bracelet wasn’t an object of buyer's remorse. It brought back fun memories for the two of us. It’s nice to know she appreciates my souvenir.

I won’t be buying bracelets on my next trip. I want to remember the details- the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes. I want to remember the people.

I’ll be journaling all the details to share when we get back.

Photo by S.G.S. Abel

7 Days, 7 Thoughts on Gratitude and Good

1. Something about the bracelet above appealed to the pre-tween me. 📷

2. I have a charm bracelet full of souvenir charms. Here’s a story about another charm bracelet.

3. Check out the Atlas Obscura podcast “Places Our Families Took Us” which inspired this newsletter. 🌏

4. I’m grateful for the family vacations of my childhood. They were typically educational and fun. I have lots of fond memories. I wonder what my siblings remember.

5. It’s good to be a tourist in your own town. There are places you haven’t explored - parks, neighborhoods, museums, or restaurants. No matter how many times you have traveled a road or walked a path open your senses to the possibilities of observing something new.

6. Some towns are perfect for walking vacations. Check out how Paris, France, and these American cities are considered the best walking-friendly cities. 🚶‍♂️

7. I’m grateful for the kindness of those who welcome tourists to their cities. When I read through my experiences of past trips, I am struck by how strangers will go out of their way to help.

Thank you for reading!

Do you have a favorite vacation memory? Leave me a comment. I would love to hear. I always respond.

Be safe in your travels!

❤

-Susan