Using the “Force” to Find a Favorite
I have never been one to become personally attached to anything. Maybe it’s a bad trait to have, but I find that very few material things are worth having a sentimental value. To my knowledge, I don’t have and have never been given any family heirlooms and I have never purchased anything with the plan to keep it for as long as I possibly can. For example, if I break or lose a piece of jewelry (which actually happened recently with a pair of earrings) I get upset at myself for not fastening it on well enough, and I eventually learn to let it go.
With that said, it’s very strange, and to me, still inexplicable how and why a black T-shirt from a relatively new Disney World souvenir shop means so much to me. A Star Wars themed and Yoda inspired shirt (a fandom I wasn’t and still not even a part of) has caused me to really care for a material good.
At seventeen, I was very close to becoming financially independent so maybe I enjoyed it so much because I purchased the shirt with my own money. Maybe I just liked how comical it was. Or maybe the quote on the front of the shirt, said by one of the most wise, intelligent, and respected characters in the saga, resonated a little more with me than I care to admit. For whatever reason, very shortly after purchasing it, I decided and declared to my surrounding family members that it was my favorite shirt. Despite not having an extensively large wardrobe, this is quite a statement to make.
Today that shirt hangs in my closet, the place it is most frequently found since the day I arrived home from my family vacation to Florida. Unlike the way many people do with their favorite piece of clothing, I don’t wear mine very often. Due to how much I like the top, I make an effort to not use it very often since I don’t want to wear it out and I can recall only wearing it a handful of times. It’s definitely a lighthearted, casual piece so I’ll probably only ever wear it while out running errands or during a relaxed day.
Even though this is my favorite shirt, a statement I’ve never really made before, I don’t feel like it has an attention-grabbing or heart-breaking backstory. It may be because of the somewhat childish and happy nature of it and what it reminds me of that I plan to keep it for as long as I possibly can.
