by Ashley McGee |

Material goods dictate so much of our lives; the need to possess the best clothing, beauty products or technology is considered normal and even acceptable in our society. And yet things aren’t always what they seem. When we look at someone, we see these materialistic qualities, but some of these possessions, in reality, may hold a deeper meaning than what meets the eye.

I never really understood the importance of these objects. I laughed at the idea that a tiny object could possibly encompass the meaning of a larger idea. That changed when one of my closest friends presented me with a homemade, hemp bracelet.

Having fit it to his own wrist, the bracelet didn’t fit me. In a way, that made it even more special. As it turned out, all his hardwork didn’t go to waste. It fit my ankle perfectly. And so now, hidden from view, that’s where I keep it.

I wear it every day to remind me of the times we’ve spent together, the hardships we’ve survived and the friendship that has managed to stay strong throughout. I look at this small, seemingly insignificant object and it’s like being transported to another time.

This bracelet I’m sure would have little monetary value, but I hold onto it because of the personal value it has to me. While I know the material goods I own now will come and go along with new styles and trends, I want to keep this small token of the friendship I have with me always. I feel like now that I have it, I’m connected to it. Seperating me from it would almost be like separating me from a part of myself. My strong feelings regarding it have nothing to do with the object itself, but what it symbolizes: moments and memories frozen in time; the days and nights to which we wish we could return.