Pikachu keychain

Past: I’d say that I don’t really know were my love of Pikachu things came from . . . but c’mon now. Just look at that face. Is Pikachu not the most adorable little cartoon character you’ve ever seen?

Anyway—I remember this keychain came from a box of Rice Krispies that Andrew bought back in 2000ish. Knowing I had a thing for Pikachu, he gave me the prize from his cereal box. Awww . . . I held onto this thing for all these years—never using it as a keychain because the keys would scratch the paint off of his adorable little face and that would make me sad. So, instead, he lived a repressed life in my desk drawer. Until I decided that it was time I part with my Pikachu toy. But just this one. Not my tamagatchi, stapler, squeeze toy, or—heaven forbid—Scott’s Pikachu toothbrush. Not yet . . .

Present: One of my coworkers has pretty much every free space on her office walls decorated with photographs, drawings, and various other mementos. One of the many drawings she has hanging up was done by her six-year-old son. It’s of Pikachu. It’s ridiculous and adorable all at once. And completely identifiable by its rosy red cheeks.

Her son is into all things Pikachu. So much so that he told his mama that he’s supporting Obama because his name sounds like a Pokemon character (like Pikachu!). I can totally get behind that logic.

So, when I came across this adorable but unused keychain in my desk drawer, I thought I’d give it to my coworker for her son. She laughed when I came into her office with it dangling from my finger—but said that she knew somebody who’d absolutely love it.

Piggy bank

Past: I picked up this adorable little piggy bank on my family vacation to Orlando in July 1984. Still, I can remember pulling the dollar bills out of my red velcro wallet in the gift shop at the China pavilion at Epcot to pay for it with my own money.

For years, this piggy bank sat on my dresser, and then on my bookshelves in college. And then, it kind of went into hiding. The rubber stopper on the bottom had long since disentegrated and the joy of dropping a coin into the money slot was a thing of the past.

But I wasn’t ready to part with this rosy-cheeked piglet with the endearing smile. So I carried her from apartment to apartment and house to house—along with eight million other knicknacks—knowing someday I’d find her a new home.

Present: I posted this bank for free on Craigslist, along with a photo. Soon after, I received an e-mail from a woman (whose name also happens to be Holly) who thought that the bank was adorable and that the smile on the piggy reminded her of her husband. How charming! Right away, I knew this little piggy bank would be in good hands for many more years to come.

Costume jewelry

Past: This faux pearl and diamond costume jewelry is dainty and lady-like and—if I remember correctly—came from the display case of the “fancy” jewelry at Claire’s in Selinsgrove, PA. I only wore it a handful of times—mostly to sorority formals during college. Low-budget bling. But I loved it!

For 10-plus years it sat in the corner pocket of my jewelry box—a little nest of baubles and fake gold. I knew I was never going to wear it again—and I was certain there was a girly-girl out there somewhere who would enjoy wearing it to her high school prom—so up it went onto Craigslist.

Present: I was hit hard with requests for this jewelry—which surprised me. Some of the stories people sent me were quite sweet. A jobless mom who had recently moved here from the Philippines who didn’t really have much money to spend on nice jewelry to wear with her dress to the three weddings she had coming up. A daughter who wanted to give her mom something pretty for Mother’s Day. A self-proclaimed poor guy who just wanted to give his wife something pretty. Others, too. Including a couple people who wrote just to say they thought it was nice of me to be giving away something pretty, especially with prom season ahead of us. I was touched.

Because it was just costume jewelry—pretty but chintzy costume jewelry—I decided the best home for my jewelry would be to a girl who would wear it to her prom—and maybe some other dress-up occasions. Like I did.

I passed the jewelry along to a woman from Arlington whose niece was attending her high school prom this spring. The girl’s mother had found her a gently worn prom dress and now her aunt was going to complete the ensemble with some pretty second-hand jewelry so that the girl would feel like the belle of the ball. And it was that phrase—the belle of the ball—and the memories of having the excited butterfly feeling in my heart when getting all dressed up for my own prom that convinced me this was the right person to pass my costume jewelry along to.