Time Capsule: Part 1
An organized, yet chaotic mess with random photos, countless books ranging from romance to sci-fi, and one too many traveling souvenirs spilling over the edge of the shelf, my bookcase is undeniably my favorite part of my childhood bedroom.
Left untouched since I left for college nearly 10 years ago, sparing the occasional book I’d reread, I’d proudly tell everyone that every item was carefully placed in its optimal place. Years passed, and my collection of prized possessions grew bigger. Though my mother would otherwise say “Shreya’s collection of junk or kachro (Gujarati term for trash),” a Kindle I had received in 3rd grade to a binder filled with dental school board materials all had their spot in my bookcase.
Driven mostly by boredom after I had finally deleted Tiktok in the hopes of curbing my morning doomscrolling and having nothing else to do on my break from residency, I stared at my bookcase perfectly adjacent to my bed. My “prized possessions” looked pathetic and well aged beyond their years. My anatomy textbook, donned with a cover of a human skeleton, was covered in so many skinny patches of dust that you’d think new bones were added to the human body. I realized that I internally felt the same way as I subconsciously twirled the stubborn strand of gray hair that had first appeared in dental school and officially made its home on my scalp during orthodontic residency. It was time for a change.
Trash bag in one hand and Windex wipes in the other, I began the task of removing every item from my bookcase. A simple task that I erroneously thought would take me 30 minutes max became a two day ordeal. I seriously doubt anyone wants to say one of their most fun aspects of break was “cleaning their bookcase” but here I am saying the unimaginable truth. Maybe Marie Kondo was on to something after all.
Slowly, things I had long forgotten about started appearing. A pink camera with photos and videos from 2010 when I was determined to be a web star just like Carly Shay from ICarly. A first generation Nintendo DS with Super Mario Brothers still in the game slot. I never did make it past the 1st level. My high school yearbook signed with anecdotes and phone numbers from people whose names I forget, but whose faces I’ll always remember. Perfect timing since my 10 year high school reunion is coming up, and I needed a refresher course to save me from any awkward moments.
As I took the time to ruminate through these objects, I realized that this bookshelf was essentially a time capsule of my life. With all items carefully reorganized and the removal of items I no longer needed, I took another glance. No more dust, no more piles of useless crap stacked on top of each other. Though I will admit, it’s still a slightly less chaotic mess.
The more I think about that bookcase, (Yes,I do a lot of overthinking, sue me.)
Isn't this bookcase a physical reflection of who we all are as we grow up? We reorganize our thoughts as we encounter new experiences, accumulating new books on the shelf. Starting a family for some, working towards a dream career, or traveling for others. Somewhere along the way, my dreams of being a webstar turning into being an orthodontist. Though I’ve heard orthodontic Instagram reels is the hype these days so maybe that dream isn’t fully dead….
We remove ourselves from the lives of others through stepping back from relationships and friendships that we euphemistically say “ran their course.” Yet, we accumulate these memories and remniscence upon them as we continue living because their path on our course altered who we are today. They each have their spot on the bookshelf, serving as a reminder of what was once beautiful, but more importantly, a reminder of all the new books, items and beautiful memories to come.
Cleaning my bookshelf gave me unexpected clarity in looking towards my past in order to be excited about my future.
Long story short, I need to clean my bookshelf more often, and maybe you should too.
