A long time ago, I used to collect and keep all of the tickets to films, bands, and anything else that I used to go to. I used to put them on the wall, or in a drawer, and look at them to remind me of the things that I had done.

I don’t do that any more.

I don’t need to. The person who collected and had the need to collect is gone. I am not who I was. Collection was needed then as a method of controlling what was done, to give it meaning after the event through the physical form, rather than relying on the memories alone.

But, the collection carried an emotional weight. It becomes too easy to place over emphasis on the past, to look through and cherish the tickets and the memories that they give, whilst limiting the experience of the present.

So I don’t keep the tickets. Instead, I keep memories, and the view ahead.