The objects we inherit can carry more than memories.
I inherited this old Remington typewriter years ago.
It is a Remington Standard No. 30, a machine from an era when a typewriter like this was a serious working tool. Someone once sat in front of it, pressed those keys, and used it to put words and numbers onto paper.
Today, of course, there are much easier ways to write.
So why did I keep it?
Because not everything we value needs to remain useful.
Some objects become important because of where they came from, who used them, or the memories and connections they represent. Their practical purpose may disappear while their personal meaning grows.
This typewriter became one of those objects for me.
What We Pass Along
Eventually, I gave the typewriter to my youngest son.
By then I wasn't really giving him an old piece of office equipment. I was passing along something that had existed before either of us owned it, had come into my life, stayed with me for a time, and was now becoming part of his.
I think that's one of the interesting things about inherited objects.
Their value isn't necessarily financial. Sometimes their real value is that they provide a physical connection between people and different periods of their lives.
A typewriter becomes more than a typewriter.
A watch becomes more than a watch.
A photograph becomes more than a photograph.
The object stays essentially the same. What changes is the meaning we attach to it.
Some Things Don't Need to Be Useful
We live in a time when replacing things is easy. When something becomes outdated, inefficient, or unnecessary, getting rid of it often makes perfect sense.
But usefulness isn't the only measure of value.
Some things deserve to be kept because they remind us where we came from, who came before us, or what we want someone after us to remember.
I kept this old typewriter for years.
Then I gave it to my son.
Perhaps that's what keeping something sometimes means. Not holding onto it forever, but knowing when it's time for someone else to become part of its story.
I don't need this typewriter to write anymore.
But I'm glad its story didn't end with me.
You May Also Enjoy”
