Out of the Bag, Onto the Road

She pressed it into my hand before she left.  You'll need this, her eyes said, if not now, later.  I nodded, the cold edges of the token warming to my touch.  I waited until she was out of sight to examine it and then stuffed it deep into my jeans pocket.

I didn't think much of it after that, but every then and again, when I was feeling particularly low, I'd come across this little charm--in the bottom of my purse, in my coat pocket--and I'd remember how my friend wanted me to know that I wouldn't be alone, even when I thought I was, even when I was sure no one was noticing my life unravel one fabulous thread at a time.

It's been months since I came across my trinket.  I don't know if I dropped her in the grocery store or if somewhere in my travels she tumbled out of my bag and onto the road.  I miss finding her in unlikely moments.  I wish she would find me now, in this instant where it's hard to remember everything will be all right, when I'm wondering where I am.  When I'm imagining where I'll go.

++++++++++++++++

Do you have a tricket, a charm, a tiny thing on your dresser, on your windowsill, that makes you a little bit stronger, that leaves you a little more happy?  Show us your treasures in the comments below.

Comments

[Georgia]

love this photo!

here's mine. i love wearing this charm necklace. i have a lot of jewelry, but this piece i find myself keeping coming back to. it definitely makes me happy when i wear it—and makes me feel a little french, too. :)

http://itsjusthowiseethings.blogspot.com/2008/09/charm-on-my-favorite-necklace.html

[The Waterhole]

I have a habit of turning commonplace objects and otherwise unremarkable events into harbingers of miraculous good fortune. Whether they actually bring good fortune is beside the point - it's the thought that counts. So I was gifted this beautiful set of bracelets and now I have a charm for every stroke of luck a girl could ever need. A coin for wealth... a heart for love... a buddha for peace... a palm tree for a month-long holiday in the Maldives...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/waterhole/3562075055/

[elk]

jen lovely thoughts and image

this simple rock makes me feel smooth even when I am not...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sammymom/3450826205/

[kristen]

this really touched me because i had a handful of my own charms that i lost last november and i think of them, hoping i'll find them and knowing i lost them in NYC so they are gone.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/acumamakiki/2989999597/in/set-72157604097569872/

I especially feel bad losing chicken-friend,
http://www.flickr.com/photos/acumamakiki/463370029/in/set-72157600087271053/
who was part of a farm set my daughter got when she was a babe. i carried that chicken for over 7 years, sigh.

and now he's with me forever. (=
http://www.flickr.com/photos/acumamakiki/3554805485/

[s]

I don't have a particular thing, but wanted to share a story about my dad with you. When my sister was a little girl she gave my dad a silver dollar for Father's Day. I am sure she thought that this was a priceless gift. :) My dad carried that dollar in his pocket ever single day after that. On the day he died we found it lying on his dresser with the other change from his pocket. It was worn smooth after so many years, just a silver disk.
My sister took it back and carries it with her now.
He must have carried it for at least 30 years.

[claudia]

I posted about it last Sept. but it's still on my window sill. A little daily reminder of my Dad and our hearts.
http://gnubee.wordpress.com/2008/09/25/dont-have-a-heart-of-stone/

[Diane]

Oh yes, I have a couple of them and both were given to me by my beloved mother who has since died. Here is one:

http://www.dianeschuller.com/blog/?p=273

The very brief 'story' demonstrates something about my dear mother and it holds me up when I really need her the most.

[Sara]

I was given a necklace that I was told would ward off bad dreams. I've kept it near me now for 15 years.

http://indigoamethyst.blogspot.com/2009/05/jerry-from-peru.html

[Adena]

My husband and I started this little tradition of hiding the same sticker over 22 years ago. Still going strong...

[djbeat]

treasures, mementos & keepsakes - i am a collector of memories & things that make me smile. perhaps it can be said that i put meaning into too many things or too much meaning into some things. shells & rocks & postcards - i still have i have 50 francs banknote & a paris metro ticket in my wallet. regardless, each little item reminds me of a moment or a feeling or mostly importantly, that i am loved:

& i have hundreds of pieces of beach glass from all around the world (my hub indulges my beach combing obsession) but i keep one piece in the pocket of my camera bag - it is small & white & not the most beautiful of the lot but it is the most precious ( my husband picked up for me one day when i wasn't there...) truly unexpected & treasured.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/djbeat/3563243553/
http://365daysofdifferent.blogspot.com/

[Jody]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jodyangel/3177217728/in/set-72157607029502356/

I love putting my little sparkley favorite things on my kitchen windowsill. The light makes bokeh on my walls =)

[Kathy Winter]

This cross belonged to my grandmother. I've always felt better wearing it and I even wore it at my daughter's birth.



http://www.flickr.com/photos/kathywinter/3564827488/

[summer]

This was given to me by my husband on our 6th wedding anniversary...it came with a matching "1" because he couldn't find a 6...I lost the one but the five has been living in my pocket. It reminds me of the love of my dear husband and that 6 years passes in the blink of an eye so hold onto every single moment as it happens.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sufferingsummer/3564833262/in/photostream/

[Dani]

I thought about this one for awhile today because I hate not having anything to on here, it's become a new addiction, must have something to post on SS! Anyway, the more and more I thought about it, I do not have anything small that I carry around and treasure, but I do have tons and tons of handmade things that my Mom has made me in the past that I truly treasure. Today, for example, I talked about a special quilt I acquired. She is very talented and while I make fun of her non-stop knitting and other crafty things she does, I am so glad that I have these things. They are so incredibly special to me.

http://danileighphotography.blogspot.com/2009/05/this-one-will-surely-surprise-mom.html

[Jaana]

http://photographybyjaana.blogspot.com/2009/05/trinkets.html