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Best of Brakfast Episode 174 Yana Bolder
We all have one.
That item sitting in a cupboard, garage, loft or drawer that nobody else understands.
It has no real value.
It probably hasn’t been used for years.
Someone has probably suggested getting rid of it.
But you can’t.
Because it’s not really about the object.
It’s about the memories attached to it.
Gen X especially grew up in a time when things weren’t automatically replaced every few years. We kept things. We repaired things. We held onto items because they reminded us of people, places and moments.
And sometimes the most treasured possessions are the ones that look completely useless to everyone else.
Old Concert Tickets
To someone else, it’s just a faded piece of paper.
To you, it’s the night you saw your favourite band live.
The ticket might be creased, the ink might be fading and the price might make you laugh compared to today’s concert costs.
But that little piece of card instantly takes you back.
Who you went with.
What you wore.
The songs they played.
The feeling of being there.
You can’t stream that memory.
A Box Of Old Photos
Before phones had cameras, photos were special.
You took a picture, waited for it to be developed and then proudly showed everyone the results.
Usually alongside:
somebody blinking
someone half out of frame
and a mysterious finger covering part of the lens
But those photos captured real moments.
Family holidays.
School trips.
Friends you haven’t seen in years.
Even blurry photos have a story.
An Old Band T-Shirt
It might be faded.
It might not fit anymore.
It might have been described by someone else as “ready for the bin.”
Absolutely not.
That’s not just a T-shirt.
That’s a memory from a gig, a festival, a holiday or a particular time in life.
And somehow old band shirts become more valuable the worse they look.
A Childhood Toy
Most people have one.
A toy that survived childhood, house moves and years of being forgotten.
Maybe it’s a teddy bear.
An action figure.
A board game missing half the pieces.
Nobody else sees the importance.
But you remember exactly where it came from.
It might be one of the few things left from being a child, and that makes it worth keeping.
Old Technology
Gen X has a particular weakness for old technology.
A cassette player.
A first mobile phone.
A games console.
A camera.
A Walkman.
To everyone else, it’s outdated.
To you, it’s proof of a different era.
An era when:
phones weren’t smart
music had to be rewound
and getting a new piece of technology felt genuinely exciting
Something From A Parent Or Grandparent
This is often the one people understand most.
An old watch.
A recipe book.
A piece of jewellery.
A favourite mug.
A tool from the garage.
The item itself might not be worth anything financially.
But it carries a connection.
It’s a little reminder of someone who mattered.
The Random Drawer Full Of “Useful Stuff”
Every Gen X home has one.
The drawer containing:
old keys nobody recognises
cables for devices that no longer exist
batteries that may or may not work
instruction manuals
random screws
Nobody knows why it’s still there.
Nobody is allowed to throw it away.
Because the moment you do, you’ll need that one mystery cable three years later.
That’s just how life works.
Why Do We Hold Onto These Things?
Because memories don’t work like shopping lists.
We don’t value things because they are expensive.
We value them because they represent something.
A moment.
A person.
A place.
A version of ourselves that no longer exists.
In a world where everything is replaced quickly, keeping something old can feel surprisingly comforting.
The Things We Keep Tell Our Stories
Maybe that’s why we struggle to throw certain things away.
They’re not clutter.
They’re reminders.
A ticket proves you were there.
A photo proves you lived that moment.
A toy reminds you who you were.
An old jumper reminds you of a time you don’t want to forget.
So yes, somebody else might look at that old box in your loft and wonder why you still have it.
But they don’t know the story.
And that’s exactly why you’re keeping it.
The Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has posted on social media to say he will be making an announcement this afternoon about his future in public life. The statement follows recent reports regarding donations made to the party leader and his official declarations of them. A series of explosions have been heard in Damascus near the hotel where the French President Emmanuel Macron is due to stay in Syria. Roads […]
