Ray Morgan: Look Back: It's Alright

February 7, 2017 by Ray Morgan

I'm having a big old clear out. I have written about this before for leigh-on-sea.com, about how I'm a cluttery fool who loves sentimental toot and finds it difficult to throw stuff out, but this is NEXT LEVEL. I'm going through old stuff armed with bin bags and a soppy heart, attempting to "be more minimalist" whilst struggling with deep feelings of nostalgia.

I have unearthed some brilliant finds. My Nokia 3210, with a shimmery blue case, adorned with 'Stick on Stones' shiny gems which I used to buy in 99p packets from Leigh Toy Fair (RIP best ever toy shop, holler if you remember it). I loved that phone because it meant texting under the table in German lessons, the beginnings of my love for emojis, and guys it also had SNAKE on it. Remember that! Not Snake 2, when you could move through walls, this was the original and best. Sigh. My smartphone now is basically a computer, digital camera and the equivalent of MSN Messenger rolled into one but back then, clunky pay-as-you-go Nokias were life.

I found a notebook where I wrote down all my favourite text messages. WROTE THEM DOWN. Because my crappy (brilliant) Nokia could only hold about 10 messages, I archived them by hand which is possibly too hipster to bear. But reading back through them was emotional. I had texts from the day I handed in my final university coursework, got my degree results, graduated. Texts from when I got home from nights out with my now partner, full of excitement and possibility. Texts from my family laced with in-jokes and humour. Texts from friends I don't see anymore, who used to be huge in my life. I found the label from my first ever coat peg at infants school. It had my name on it, and a picture of a cat, on lilac card because I was in Lilac Class. And I also found my ceramic door plaque with 'Rachel' on it and a cartoon rainbow.

It's nice to give things new life too. Furniture that's been with me and my family for years is now having new adventures with friends thanks to a Facebook status seeing if anyone wanted anything (spoiler: they did). Drawer units, chairs, a computer desk - enjoying new homes where they can be useful again.

My favourite doll as a kid (her name is Louise) has also been stuck in a box for years and instead of lovingly packing her into another one and forgetting about her again, I'm gifting her to my best friend's little girl who can actually play with her and give an 80s toy new life.

Chucking stuff out doesn't have to mean throwing away the memories, in fact it's kick started them for me. Come bin day, a lot of stuff is going: university coursework, A Level projects, letters from people I don't see anymore. It's refreshing to know that the stuff is going but the memories remain.

To read all of Rays previous blog's please click the link https://www.leigh-on-sea.com/blog/tag/ray-morgan.html