Memories in a Wooden Box

Memories are like things, they have a tendency to get stale. I know you won’t believe it but its true .Trust me, It happens. It has happened to me. It happens to everybody. It happened to you also, but may be you never noticed. Memories in your mind, when stay for a long time get stale. You must be wondering how one’s memories can get stale. Let me tell you how it happens. You know that memories fade away but before they fad, they get stale. I’ll give you a proof. Today, a carpenter came to my home. While he was working I was not able to concentrate in my work because his work tools were making noise. So I decided to clean my wardrobe. I started with accessories section as it was a complete mess for a long time. I, a hard core procrastinator, was a bit hard on myself and thus decided to do the most daunting of the task at hand immediately. I picked the wooden box, which is full of ear rings. It is a beautifully carved wooden box, which I bought from Saharanpur when I was in seventh grade. Though I did not have any jewellery at that time but still, I bought that box with fifty rupees that my massi gave me during my stay in Saharanpur in summer vacations. I loved the box and kept it with me till today. I opened the box.  There were a number of ear rings in all the colors and in all the varieties such as ethnic and western. I am very fond of ear rings but the box was so cluttered and there were so many of them. Therefore I decided to throw away some of the old unused ear rings.  I selected the red hangings which I bought in merely 10 rupees from a lady who sold those kinds of earrings on manji (an iron bed) in small market nearby our house. It was a difficult choice. It felt as if the ear ring was crying with pain and saying “why do you want to throw me away I have been with you for a long time. How can you forget when you first time put me in your ears and proudly walked around your college. How can you forget that Rahul, your first crush talked to you that day for the first time and said- tum in ear rings me bahut achhi lag rahi ho and you blushed. Later on you were embarrassed and thought why you blushed. You flaunted me among your girlfriends. Smile did not leave your face the whole day. In night you had a beautiful dream that you are dating Rahul and still wearing me.” The ear ring again pleaded “Please don not throw me away. Remember I made the day for you and many more days following that day. I was a proud possession of yours and today you want to get rid of me, why tell me why” ear rings sobbed. I answered “Dear ear ring you are old. Your metal has lost its shine. You do not look as good as you looked when I wore you first time. You are of no use today. I have to throw you as I had to throw away the memory of Rahul. Rahul, who was my first crush at the age of seventeen. Rahul about whom I thought that he is my first love. I had to remove his memories from my mind as they were not letting me concentrate on my present. His memories were staling in my mind. I removed the stale memories of Rahul from my mind. If I would not have done that I would not have moved on and found my soul mate. So dear ear ring if I do not throw you away I won’t be able to get a new one. I am sorry but dear ear ring I can not keep you in my beautifully carved wooden box.”

You love your old memories. They made you smile in the past but in present they are of no use. If you won’t get rid of your old memories, they will stale in your mind and stale your mind as well. It is necessary to get rid of these stale memories to make space for new ones.