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Do you sometimes catch yourself doing some kind of unexplainable, random, and odd thing? Well, no matter what you say, we know you—because, don't we all?
For instance, having a random item that has no real purpose or use in your day-to-day life, but never throwing it out or giving it away. We think that this perfectly fits the online joke about "having no original experience," because haven't we all had items like that? So, today, let's take a look at which items netizens hold on to and maybe even discover the reason behind some of them.
More info: Reddit
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#1
A plastic snail that I found in my school parking lot. His name is Aaron, and Aaron lives in my bassoon case. He has played with me all over the country, I set him on my stand during concerts. He’s very well behaved, and never interrupts the concert.
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#2
1 Pokémon card - Sharpedo
My son told me he was the best, and to keep the card with me incase I ever needed to battle. So I keep it in my pocket at all times.
Humans are innately emotional people. The thing is, these emotions exist on a very broad spectrum. From joy to sadness, from anger to fear, and from surprise to disgust. And the broadness of these emotions isn’t the only thing that makes them so complicated. These emotions blend together, creating interesting mental states, and broadening the spectrum even further.
One of these complicated feelings is nostalgia. Simply said, nostalgia is a sentimental yearning for the past that evokes feelings of both pleasure and sadness.
#4
Weird rocks. Every single bag I have has at least 2 in them
Edit: wow y’all really like rocks!
#5
Pads. I don't have periods anymore because of a medical issue but I still bring them in case there is anyone that needs them.
#6
The key to the home I grew up in. I was so proud when they gave me a key to the house in 7th grade so I could let myself in whenever I needed to.
They changed the locks years ago, so this key is now completely useless, but I can't bring myself to take that key off of my key ring. I will always carry it to remind myself of my family.
This tweet perfectly explains what this exact feeling is about: “Nostalgia is proof that you are living a life worth living, it is a privilege to yearn for your own memories.”
Nostalgia can be brought on by visiting a certain place, seeing an old photo, smelling something, hearing a song, or simply seeing an item. That’s why some people tend to stick to seemingly unimportant stuff – it’s important to them, as it holds some kind of sentiment for them.
You can see a few examples of such items on today’s list. From a home key that no longer fits to a parking pass to a hospital from a special date – all of these (along with some that don't have the sentimental value we mentioned) were shared by netizens in an online thread under the question, “What is the most useless item you carry with you all the time?”
#7
A small marble turtle I named Harold In December of 2015 my family went to the Bahamas where I got Harold for $2 and I immediately put him in my pocket, a few days later I had forgotten he was there, but I was like nah can't take him out now he's already been there for 3 days. Flash forward to now and I still keep him in my pocket always, almost getting to 4 years. If he's not in my pocket I have get really anxious and worried about him, even though he's inanimate
#8
When I was in Arizona two years ago I bought a metal spider sculpture off of an old man outside a dingy side of the road wild west travelers stop. As a receipt he gave me a wallet size printed picture of him sitting proudly atop a horse, with a big white cowboy hat and he signed the back and wrote the dollar amount. I still have his picture in my wallet today.
#9
An all purpose tool. It is not particularly good at anything it does. Has a hammer on it that splits into a wirecutters/pliers. Compared to a leatherman, not super helpful to have on hand. It fails as a hammer, as a pliers, as a cutter. Even the knife/screwdriver attachments etc that pull out are so bulky that using any of them isn't great compared to say a swiss army knife.
I carry a letherman on hand too.
But... it was a gift from daughter in law/grandson who find me 'handy,' because I fix stuff for them, so I always have it on me as a memento. As a memento, not useless. Always makes me think of the Red Green show, "If they don't find you handsome, they can at least find you handy.".
Yet, sentiments aren’t the sole reason why people sometimes can’t part ways with seemingly useless stuff. For instance, some people struggle with hoarding. With this disorder, their brain leads them to believe all of the stuff they save one day is going to somehow be useful or that they’ll spare Earth from more waste.
The kept stuff can also provide them with a sense of comfort and security. So, they might experience distress even over the thought of getting rid of them.
Over time, these people’s homes get cramped up with stuff that has a slim chance of being used one day. While for some this disorder doesn’t go so bad, for others it can make their living spaces unusable, which makes their lives drastically more difficult. Plus, the fact that in many cases, people don’t even realize they struggle with hoarding, which only makes the disorder more complex.
#10
Hair bands. I'm a guy with short hair, so they are absolutely useless to me.
However, after watching my little sister, my mother, and past girlfriends slurp up their own hair with their ramen.... that s**t is never happening in my presence again.
#12
Pointless in the sense it hasn't got a practical use
But a little letter my Fiancé wrote for me when we where gonna spend time away as I was away for work and she was staying home
I keep it everywhere I go so if I feel low ill pull it out and give it a cheeky read.
Granted, we don’t say that if you keep a few things just because and never throw or give them away, you’re a hoarder. Maybe there’s actually a sentimental reason why you keep that thing, but you don’t even realize (or don’t confess to it).
Perhaps it’s just a cute thing that you would feel bad about leaving behind. Either way, as long as it doesn’t interfere with your or another’s well-being, keeping a useless thing from time to time isn’t so bad.
Do you keep anything that might look useless to others? Spill your secret in the comments!
#17
9 times out of 10 it's my chap stick. But on the one day I forget to grab it, you can bet my lips will be absurdly chapped for no reason.
#20
I have a coupon (expired on 2014/6/30) for 3 yuan off of a Large Coco Milk Tea with boba from when I visited Suzhou five years ago.. I live in the US though..
#21
I still carry my Blockbuster account card in my wallet. FYI Were im from they closed down around 10 years ago but you never know!!
#22
A 'love' omamori I bought a month before last christmas. My crush died the week before Christmas.
#24
My zippo. I haven't smoked in a while, but I still carry it with me. Always good to be prepared, I guess.
#29
Still have the key to my old office on my key chain. I haven’t worked there in three years and will never be back. It’s a really big key that tends to get in the way. I might get rid of it one of these days but probably won’t.
#30
Those loyalty cards that were forced on me when I was unable to refuse and I still keep in my wallet but deep down I know I’m never really going to use.
#33
Glasses cleaning cloth. I usually just use the bottom of my shirt.
Edit: I leave for class and come home to nearly 9k karma *and silver*. H**l yeah.
#35
Business card of someone I'll **definitely** never call
Edit: wow that's a ton of karma for such a simple comment. **Question: why doesn't my karma update reflect the 28k and instead only goes up a few hundred at a time?**.
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