On Longing - Why We Keep Things

"The body is the primary mode of perceiving scale. Capacity of objects to serve as traces of authentic experience. The souvenir reduces the public, the monumental and the 3D into the miniature which can be enveloped by the body."

To me, this sentence mainly says, "Keeping small objects is important because it allows for an intimate feelings that others cannot embrace. Both the object and the experience or memory must be specific to the person and it "must be small enough for the body to envelop it."
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"Nostalgia can't be sustained without loss."
"The place of origin must remain unavailable in order for the desire to be generated."

I used to collect keychains when I was in elementary school. My grandfather nailed pieces of wood together and put hooks on each piece so I could display them. He painted it white and put my name on it. I covered it in stickers over the years. One of the keychains was a dragonfly whistle painted green with little leather pieces for the wings. I wasn't to fond of it because the sound it made was so screechy - like a dog toy. I don't remember what happened to them all or the frame that held them, but this summer I went back home to work. One day my Flagler lanyard broke off of my keys and of course I kept losing them. My mother has always liked to interject so I ended up finding my keys laying on my desk with a new item hanging on the ring. I chuckled, knowing she probably couldn't stand that I wasn't doing anything about it. When I looked closely, I realized that it was that damn dragonfly whistle keychain from my childhood. I immediately rolled my eyes and started to take it off the keyring.  For some reason I never did, and I ended up keeping it on the whole summer. Now when I look at it, I wouldn't dare take it off because it means even more to me. My friends always ask me what it is and I show it off - blowing the annoying, squeaky whistle.
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"To have a souvenir of the exotic is to possess both a specimen and a trophy."

exotic: of foreign origin or character; not native; introduced fromabroad, but not fully naturalized or acclimatized: exotic foods;exotic plants.

strikingly unusual or strange in effect or appearance: an exotic hairstyle.

of a uniquely new or experimental nature: exotic weapons.

trophy: taken in war, hunting, competition, etc., especiallywhen preserved as a memento; spoil, prize, or award.

anything serving as a token or evidence of victory, valor, skill,etc.

a carving, painting, or other representation of objectsassociated with or symbolic of victory or achievement.

any memento or memorial.

a memorial erected by certain ancient peoples, especially theGreeks and Romans, in commemoration of a victory in war andconsisting of arms or other spoils taken from the enemy andhung upon a tree, pillar, or the like.

specimen: part or an individual taken as exemplifying a whole mass or number; a typical animal, plant, mineral, part, etc.

(in medicine, microbiology, etc.) a sample of a substance ormaterial for examination or study: a urine specimen; a tissue specimen.

My friend traveled to Africa with her family. She came back with lots of gifts including a necklace made with string and shell. It wasn't very pretty and didn't show craftsmanship like it was handmade or anything. Nothing special. I probably would have given it away if it wasn't from Africa. But because it was so exotic, something from somewhere so far away from me, I had to keep it. I never wear it but I do keep it because it is like my "trophy" or "token." It is important to me that I possess something from another continent.