Prized Possessions

I was reading Daniel Corbett's Rolex story at Watches of Espionage, and in the article the author mentions that, in spite of Corbett being a self-described non-materialist, the watch was his sole prized possession. This got me thinking about my prized possessions.

I’m a minimalist, but this doesn’t mean I don’t have stuff; and while I’m not a materialist, I do appreciate certain things, and I like to be able to live a comfortable life now that I can afford one. I do have, however, five items that I consider prized possessions.

These are items that have a special meaning and that, if all burns down, I would try to save. These things pictured below are important for a variety of reasons, but the one thing in common is that they serve a purpose and they have a way to remind me of something hard.

• Kiss or Kill, by Mark Twight. The hard cover version. Mark is my hero and mentor and this book contains inside one simple and yet hardcore message: fucking work hard and keep going. I read it at least once a year. Often more.
• My passport. I worked long and hard to become a US citizen. I'm extremely proud of it, in more ways I can explain here. This passport is my identity, my reason.
• My Rolex Submariner. Again, I worked hard for a long time to be able to afford this. This was the thing I bought when I achieved a particular goal. This watch has been in many hairy places, and it's just the thing I can look at everyday to not only know the time, but to remember that hard work works.
• My Emerson CQC-8. I value a good knife, and this one has been with me all around the world. It saved my life once.
• My sunglasses. These are a pair of Gatorz Marauders, but it could be any sunglasses. When these go, I'll get a new pair. I always invest in a good pair of polarized sunglasses. The sun is getting crazy and I'm getting older. I also have hypersensitivity to light due to a head injury, so sunglasses are my friends.

Prized possessions. Would I part with them if I have to? Absolutely. However these are the things I have that I treasure.