I am sitting here at my desk. When I look above me, there is a corkboard with postcards, clippings, stickers and ticket stubs pinned to it. Resting on top of the corkboard are little “nick knacks” such as a South Park button, City Seal pin, a giant penny, and various other little “do dads”. Looking at this collection, I realized that each one of them tells a story – and then realized that we all have houses full of these silent storytellers.

Look around your house. I bet you could point out a dozen items that are nothing but little “nick knacks” to the naked eye – but each one carries a story as to how it got to you. Maybe one thing in your house is a reminder of the person who gave it to you, or something else could be a souvenir from a great night on the town – or maybe something else could be a reminder of your past. No matter the story the item could tell, I bet it would be an interesting one.

I can say that there is not one item in my house that does not have a story behind it. Each little “do dad” that decorates my home comes with an explanation, a recollection, a memory, or a great story. Whenever someone looks at something and says, “What’s that?” or “Where did you get that?” I am always ready with the answer. I love to tell the stories of an item that I have and the way it made its way to me.

Besides telling the story of the item’s origin to others, sometimes I look at the things I have accumulated throughout my 29 years on this Earth and I am instantly reminded of how I got it. I recall the circumstances that made me by that item, or the person who gave it to me, or the time in my life when I got it. Even alone, your house can be a library of your own life just waiting for you to read it.

I also enjoy hearing other people tell me a story of how they acquired a certain item they have. To me, the history of an object can be pretty interesting. To hear how someone acquired something they hold dear is like learning a little more about someone and allowing them to share a special moment of their life with you.

For example, take that giant penny I mentioned earlier. I was at my friend Karen’s house who I used to work with and she had this giant penny on her desk. She told me that someone once gave it to her and she’s had it ever since. When I looked at it – the date on the penny was 1972 – the year I was born. She thought that was pretty coincidental and decided that since the penny has my birth year on it and since I write this column – that I should have it, and I’ve had it ever since – thanks Karen. See how everything has a story behind it?

So after you finished reading this column, go around your house and pick an item that you have on a shelf, or something that you have tacked to a corkboard, or something that you have hanging on your wall – and listen to the story it tells you.