LibraryScenariosHow inherited objects carry emotional weight
Scenario

How inherited objects carry emotional weight

I inherited my father's tools after he died and I don't know how to use them but I can't throw them away because they smell like his workshop.

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More people experience this than they realize.

What we've seen

Physical inheritance becomes proxy for continuing relationship with the deceased.

Ideas that help explain it
Worth thinking about

“Where Are You with Nostalgia — its function and its limits?”

If this sounds familiar, the Library can help you find the bigger picture.