The question “What’s the oldest thing you own that you still use today?” is not complicated to answer and makes me delve in the past to a snowy November day in 1943, the day I was born eighty years ago. I was gifted a silver napkin ring with my initial on it, an especially useful item, dear to my heart. Be this, with breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
wjjh- 15.6.2024
In what kind of world do we wish to live 
What a nice question! I had to think a bit, but the answer is right before my eyes. My grandfather’s 3rd wife (my step-grandmother) died in Budapest just as I was on my way to visit with my father. The municipality sealed her apartment, and so I had to wait for a year before being able to visit the place. I was not allowed to take anything “of value,” this, the Communist government wanted to keep of course, but all the papers were fair game. I loaded a bunch of suitcases I found and cardboard boxes along with someone from the actor’s club named after my grandfather (he was a well-known actor in Hungary). In the confusion, my companion managed to salvage a few objects, including a table clock, which I have, though I don’t wind it up, and a stapler, which I still use.
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Your comment made me think back and its not the value, but the memory of what makes objects valuable. Three months after I was born our house in Soestduinen was confiscated to house 12 German nurses, with the local Mayor serving the papers, a brown NSB member and my parent got 24 hours to leave. So my mother asked him as he had been inspecting in looking around “for what are you coming for the house or for the paintings?” So they got 72 hours and were able the salvage the most valuable items. In a way we were fortunate. After the war the house was returned, but totally vandalized. But in a way we were fortunate, surviving the war. But amazing what people can do to each other.
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