This morning, I unwittingly stumbled across an old memoir of mine. It was somewhat of an absurd attachment, yet it still held considerable significance in my eyes. Looking at it stirred a range of feelings within me. I remember the warmth, the tongue-in-cheek humour, and the thoughtfulness this milk carton once conveyed.
You heard right. A measly milk carton. Someone who once meant the world to me gifted me this token on my birthday. I don’t even think that person would even reminisce about a present as insignificant as this. However, it meant something to me, as silly as that sounds. Is it a sign I haven’t been loved very well? But let’s be honest… we already knew that.
I held it in both of my hands and looked over the note attached to the front of it. While the corners had slowly peeled themselves away from the milk carton, it was a surprise the note hadn’t removed itself long ago. As I read the words written there, I found myself confusingly amused. In my unchanged childish frustration, the use of the wrong “you’re” still evoked a visceral reaction. Never mind the incorrect grammar, the fact that the carton did not once contain full-cream milk, and instead skim milk, was outrageous. And those very flaws somehow entertained me.
I let out a big sigh with a mix of varied emotions. Unimpressedness. Endearment. Wistfulness. While holding this empty milk carton in my hands didn’t bring back any memories, it pulled at one of my heart strings just a little. The expiry date read, 29 APR 21. That was four years ago. A lifetime ago… a lifetime that no longer exists.
As I emotionally distanced myself from the past, thinking about what once was, I was once again reminded of all the disappointments I faced not long after. Ultimately, it held no lasting significance. Anyone can gift something meaningful to someone once, but if they don’t know how to keep showing that same person they mean something to them, well… it’s not really love at all.
In a bygone era, I cherished this milk carton. It was clever and made light of the situation—that being a present that had not arrived in time—while revealing the thoughtful and cheeky character of the gift-giver. Silly, isn’t it? I am but a sentimental fool. It’s time to put trash where it belongs. In the bin.
Because at the end of the day, it meant nothing… and a milk carton is all it is.
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