Standing on Paromita’s doorstep in Muswell Hill in London, the air abuzz with pre-departure jitters, and then I confessed my usual dread of motion sickness while traveling. Just as goodbye loomed, she darted back inside, returning with a small surprise – a tin of mints, not mints at all but cloves, their sharp aroma a welcome distraction. But it was the tin itself that truly captivated me. A simple rectangular box, it displayed a charming sketch of two owls against a white background.
“It’s so cute,” I exclaimed, “you should keep it! And chew on to one of two cloves, it will help”
Paromita smiled knowingly. “No, I loved the box, but now I know it will be safe with you. You, I know, will never let it go.”
And she was right. The unassuming mint tin, a throwaway in most eyes, transformed into a precious Proust-ian token. In its comforting weight, the unexpected bite of the cloves, and the whimsical image of the owls, I find myself whisked back to that bittersweet London farewell. It’s a testament to the power of sensory details, as Proust himself would surely agree. The tin, once destined for the bin, became a poignant emblem of friendship, a silent inscription bearing Paromita’s words: “I know you will never let it go.”
In our daily life, often seemingly ordinary, transcends its fleeting purpose of being a tangible link to a cherished memory. The coolness of the metal against my palm, the unexpected burst of spice on my tongue, the sight of the two owls against the stark white background – each detail a portal that catapults me back to that emotional London farewell.
Ephemera, those everyday objects we often discard without a thought, can evolve into powerful preservers of memories.
The tinbox itself, though seemingly ordinary, transcends its fleeting purpose. It transforms into a Proust-ian token, a tangible link to a cherished memory.
Our everyday ordinary moments becomes a treasured relic. Ordinary words bearing Paromita’s words: “I know you will never let it go,” relives as an enduring power of friendship. The tin, a mere blip in the vastness of time, transcends its ephemeral nature, transforming into a symbol of a connections that continues to resonate.