Another trinket gone

It’s generally not my style to bring back souvenirs from my extended travel sessions, but invariably I oftentimes come back with a few things I didn’t start the journey with. For example, in 2012 I came back with three pairs of socks that I had bought in Spain to replace some of the ones I had brought with me that had become worn out. From my 2015 journey across Europe, one of the things that got brought back stateside was some sore throat medication I had acquired in Croatia during the time I was temporarily sick. This past weekend I wasn’t feeling so great and needed some sore throat relief, and wouldn’t you know it, while checking my medicine cabinet I came across those Croatian meds. The sight of them triggered a rush of memories from that part of the journey (mostly of feeling miserable but not letting illness stop me from sightseeing) and I got a small kick out of using up the last of the supply. Another trinket from overseas finally got to be seen again, though in this case being discovered meant being consumed and the end of its useful lifetime. It’s somewhat sad that those meds are now gone, as they were something of a mental link back to the 2015 journey, but at the same time they were just meds, and nothing more. I don’t regret using them up and am fine with them now gone. For me, the real mementos of any journey are the photos and memories I collect while I’m there. Those sorts of things I will not so easily part with.