This zipper was part of a pullover I wore during the last race I ran. I was really sick at the time, and although it was a short race, I was lucky to finish. I owe a lot of that to my friend who ran it with me; he cheered me on the whole time. We had a great day together. It was a nice thing to do before I started some very difficult months of treatment for my illness. The memory of it was a reminder of what could be on the other side of my fight for better health.
Walnut
This reminded me of my first crush from preschool, Alicia. She had a Lite Brite and lived in a split-level house. We would play “Return to Oz” on the playground and I would use a walnut as the top of a key that felt essential to the game. I remember the act of picking it up off the ground, digging the dirt out of the holes and watching it transform to a key in my hands.
four-leaf clover
I believe I picked this particular four-leaf clover in my backyard, near the compost bin. It is the first one I’ve found in the yard here. The memories I associate with it go much deeper, however, because each and every time I pick (or find and don’t actually pick) a four-leaf clover I think of my grandmother… After she passed, four-leaf clovers appeared, pressed between pages of many, many of her books. I like to think she’s with me whenever I find one.