The Stickers You Never Stuck

Do you remember the feeling of being a little kid and getting stickers? I definitely do. The excitement of where you’re gonna place them and when it was of your favorite cartoon character always felt so intense. They came from all sorts of places: the doctor's office, a coloring book, or even school. I covered just about anything in stickers and would use them quite generously, unless... It was extra special. Unless it was deemed special enough to save and wait for the perfect place to put it, something worthy of that sticker’s greatness. I would use this same thought process with other things, too, for example, if I found the perfect outfit, it had to be saved for the perfect event.

However, as I got older, I accumulated a pile of stickers I never stuck, stickers that were once too special to use, simply pushed aside and neglected. The same went for the clothes that I waited and waited to wear; they were either too small to wear when I felt it was finally time, or only worn a handful of times before they were out of style and given away.

I realized this is a subconscious behavior that we all do. Most of us put off using special things because we are so scared of misusing them. Why do we, as a society, have this need to restrict the way we use the things we deem special? Shifting our mindsets to “this is special, I want to showcase this and use it to express myself” would be much more constructive for us. Think about the way you feel when you're wearing your favorite shirt or shoes. Don’t you want to bring that level of joy into your everyday life? There is no perfect event to wear the shirt to, and there is no perfect place to put a sticker. All that matters is that the way you use these things makes you happy.

Accumulating piles of unused, previously prized possessions is incredibly sad in a way. We are left with reminders of our old tastes, interests, and loves that we were too hesitant to exercise at the time. Instead of my notebook from when I was seven years old, showcasing all of my favorite things on the cover, I am left staring at a notebook covered in things I deemed completely ordinary and not worth saving. I am left to find a box of stickers I once loved so much, unused and forgotten. The same thing goes for when I look back at old pictures, and my clothes in the pictures don’t reflect the clothes I loved so much at the time. I was cheating myself out of the chance to actually express myself through my clothes and wear the things I loved the most.

So, this is my very long and sentimental way of telling you to wear your favorite shirt you keep endlessly waiting to wear, to stick the sticker, and to stay true to yourself and your interests, because they will ultimately change and evolve. Don’t disappoint your future self with hesitation, as your favorite things truly are worth using. Don’t let the fear of misusing something keep you from it altogether.

P.S. My favorite sticker I could never bring myself to use was of My Little Pony :)

Strike Out,

Writer: Dylan Longman

Editors: Melany Rodriguez, Dani Hernandez

Graphic Designer: Emma Murphy

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