My Things: Kana's Story

I love all my things. All of my things that I like having close at hand at all times. I like touching them. I like seeing them. I even like smelling them. They all have a different smell. The smells are sweet and sour. Musty and fresh Vanilla and chocolate. They want to take my things away from me.

My daughter and I fight about my things all the time. I don’t know why she doesn’t understand how important my things are. I can tell you the story of every one of those. Like, see this….I know it just looks like a plain hair brush to you. But this hairbrush was given to me by a very sweet little red haired girl when we were in third grade. It was a Christmas present. It belongs right here on the top of my hair stuff pile. It is oh so important to me.

Oh yeah, my daughter doesn’t understand that. She thinks there is something wrong with me. She told me she won’t come to see me anymore until I get rid of my things.

How am I supposed to choose between my things? Do I tell her which child she should love the most? Do I make her choose between her children? Oh the children! I have grandchildren you know. Three of them. I’ve never met them but I have pictures.

Come with me I’ll show you their pictures. They are in the back bedroom. It used to be my daughters room but she got rid of everything she ever had when she left. She doesn’t understand about things.

All that we must do is go down this hallway. Watch out! Don’t step on my unicorns! Those are very special to me. Here climb over these baskets. Those baskets are a treasure. They are full of VHS movies. I love movies don’t you? Yes movies are so wonderful. I have fifteen TVs so I can watch as many movies as I want. Just over and over and over. 

            Where were we going? Pictures? Oh I have lots and lots of pictures. What kind of pictures did you want to see? Of my grandchildren? Oh I have wonderful grandchildren. My daughter told me I do. I’m so excited that you get to see them. Do you like cats? I love cats. I used to have a cat but I don’t know where it went. It just went away. It was gray. Do you like gray cats? Gray cats are my favorite kind of cats.

Oh look pictures! This is a picture of Paris. This is a picture of a lake. This is a picture of a man. What? Oh no I didn’t take these. These are the pictures that people left when I worked at the one hour photo place. All those poor pictures that someone cared enough to take but no one wanted to pick up. It’s just sad really. This is a horse. There is a dog.

Do you think I should let them take my things away? Where would they go? What would we do with them? Would someone appreciate my unicorns? What about my munchkins? Oh yes I have munchkins! Munchkins from The Wizard of Oz. Come, come with me and I will show them to you. I am so glad that you are here to appreciate my munchkins.

Time to go? Where are we going? Oh no I can’t go with you. I can’t leave my things. Who would take care of them? No please no don’t make me go! I’m not crazy! I swear I’m not! Please just go and leave me here. Please…..

People say that I am a hoarder. I have been in this hospital for a long time. No one comes to visit me and I am not allowed to have anything. They say the therapy is doing me good and that one day I may not be crazy anymore. That I had gone for days without eating surrounded by my things. They say I am sane now. Surrounded by other people and living my life in a cell instead of alone and surrounded by my things.

Sane is overrated.