Earlier in the week when I read in the recent home security survey by Chill Insurance that a third of homeowners in Ireland rated family photographs as their most important possession, I nodded along and wondered what else was on the list. And if I'd agree.
The next most popular answers were computer or laptop, the TV, mobile phone or tablet and then jewellery. Well I wasn't that shocked. I personally wouldn't put the TV on my list, but as more often than not I'm glued to either the laptop, my iPad or my iPhone I guess they'd be on my list.
Photo credit: Chill Insurance
But thinking about it more, while I'd be lost without them are they really my most treasured possessions?
I think it's more the information they hold on them: the spreadsheets, photos, contacts and such like that I'd be more lost without if I well, err lost any of these. Yes there's backups so that's good, but not much use initially if you've nothing to restore it on I guess. And who remembers phone numbers these days?
My jewellery would be on the list though. It's technically replaceable but it's the memories that go along with it isn't it? The photographs that topped the list might not be so replaceable either, especially the older ones because let's face it even if I had the negatives (which I don't) they're unlikely to have been kept in the right sort of conditions.
And those backups of my digital photos would, I hope come in handy.
What else?
Well other popular answers included books, art, family and the cat. Well I'd taken family as read, and if I had a cat I'd certainly have it on my treasured belongings list...
So along with photographs, jewellery and technology the things I'd add would be more likely to be memory based, because of their sentimental value. That's likely to include:
the chess table and pieces that we bought in Sorrento after popping into the shop on our last day to kill time,
my broken Swiss chalet trinket box, a childhood gift from my well-travelled aunt and uncle,
the zinc wall planter bought after a good lunch and an afternoon people watching in Saint Malo,
the wood carved animals that remind me of good times on netball tour in South Africa,
the lead crystal vase MOH bought me as a birthday present in Prague and
the fish shaped dish that we carefully carried around Dublin for a day!
When I asked MOH what his treasured possessions were he said his hi-fi and records, his watch and his rings and that's pretty much what I expected him to say.
What would be on your list?
This is a collaborative post but all views are my own