Tag Archives: Simon Cordall

You see, as well as the loss of belongings, is the loss of, let’s call it, ‘tangible memory’. Yes, I know exactly how pretentious that sounds, just bear with me. I’ll give you a ‘for instance’. Take, for instance, the sofa that, until this morning, sat just two metres behind me. Well, that had some pretty powerful memories invested in it. A lot of conversations passed between me and others on that sofa. It was the sofa that I sat on as I wrestled with what was, at that time, the very real prospect of going blind. Later, it was the sofa I sat on as I reconciled myself to being forever blind in one eye. It was also the sofa I was sat on when I decided that it was time I was in charge of events, rather than events be in charge of me. There was even a time when that was ‘our’ sofa, and not just my sofa. I think that’s what I meant by tangible memories. I don’t care what it cost, or how it looked, it was all the memories that been created around it that mattered. It’s that our belongings become far more than the sum of their parts, it’s that they become the physical embodiment of all the memories associated with them. Maybe it’s their continued presence that helps keep those memories alive. Continue reading →