Most people I’ve met have told me that they aren’t close to their cousins. Some don’t even talk to their cousins at all, which bewilders me because I have the privilege to call my cousin my best friend. 

My cousin lives almost 500 miles away and visits my family and me about two times a year and only for a week. But in those memorable weeks, we are inseparable. We have the same favorite movies, favorite food, and favorite board games. What more could I ask for in a best friend? 

The part that always destroyed me was the day she had to go back home. When I was younger, I used to cry whenever I saw her depart from my driveway and leave. I was deeply saddened, but she managed to find a way to cheer me up, even if she wasn’t there. She would always leave me a hidden letter. It soon became our tradition.

Right when I hear the garage door close after she leaves, I immediately dash back into my home and scour my house until I find the letter. And every time I open it to read its contents, I would immediately feel the rush of joy again. She would always write about how she had a fun time and recollect all the that jokes we had. It was indeed a delightful reminiscence of her one week stay. 

I also made it a tradition to collect these letters. All of them are actually sitting in a bedazzled box I have in the corner of my room right now. What can I say? I am a very sentimental person. 

Don’t get me wrong, I am not a hoarder of random objects. I just like to keep little things, even if they seem invaluable at first. Whether it may be a letter or a bracelet I got from my first friend on a 2013 cruise vacation, I keep it all in my memory box, tucked away for later reminiscence. 

To me, it’s the little things in life that give me my favorite feeling of nostalgia. Each object I have is a memory orb (if you’ve ever seen Inside Out, you’ll get the reference) that I associate with something from my childhood or in the past. My stuffed animal represents the first time I went to the mall with my family and discovered the glorious “Build-A-Bear Workshop.” My Minnie Mouse polka dot notebook symbolizes the first vacation I went on, which was a Disney cruise. I even saved my ticket to the Eiffel Tower so that I could remember the time I went to Paris. 

All of these objects may seem like “junk” to an outsider, but to me, they may be my favorite objects in the whole wide world. 

It’s good to be sentimental sometimes. Take your time to notice and enjoy all the good things that life offers. Cherish the time you have with your loved ones to your heart’s content. Bottle up your favorite moments and burn them into your memory.