Artificial. That is the best word VALLEY can use to describe the way half our dorm rooms felt back at the beginning of the school year. The posters from Etsy that we framed and hung up on my wall, the colorful throw pillows arranged on our beds, it all seemed wrong.
The Importance of Sentimental Trinkets
I had gone into the year thinking my new selection of decor would turn my room into a peaceful oasis, but after decorating, I felt that it lacked substance. I had no sentimental feelings or memories attached to any of the items, leaving me craving my room from home that was filled with meaningful trinkets. My room at home felt rich and warm, whereas this one felt like the window of a Pottery Barn: fashionable at surface level but the pieces lacked history or meaning.
However, as my Penn State journey ensued, I noticed that the energy in my room began to shift. The space on the side of my dresser that had once been nothing but wood with an unfavorable hue was now covered by a racing bib from the Thon 5k and a pom that I had saved from the helmet stripe football game. Now, a quick glance at my dresser brings me right back to sprinting towards the BJC at the end of the 5K and getting rowdy with friends at tailgates.
Your Room is a Collection of Memories
I am sure all of you have experienced a time when a little memento from a meaningful night with your friends crept its way into your permanent room decor. Maybe your friends threw you a birthday party and put a naked Barbie doll with a birthday sash on top of your cake, and that Barbie found a place on your desk for the remaining months of the school year. Every time you see that exciting relic in all its plastic bombshell glory, you remember good times with your friends.
Maybe the disposable camera photos taken at tailgates, concerts at the BJC, and late-night sweet-little-treat adventures began to line your walls. One glance at these images fills you with a sense of gratitude as you look back on such rich experiences.
Appreciating Our Living Spaces
Our rooms look a little different from the beginning of the school year to now. In a few short weeks when we have to move out, there will be even more trinkets that make our dorm, apartment, or house feel like home.
The addition of each new item is a chapter in the story of our school year. I’m sure your room tells one heck of a story. All the people you met, the clubs you joined and the adventures you partook in are all reflected by the appearance and essence of your living space.
Your room is your happy place, somewhere you can go to be alone and decompress. Every single decoration in it serves a purpose. Next time you are sitting in bed, look around at the things you have collected throughout the year. Immerse yourself in the setting that each of these items or photographs were from. Allow yourself to be transported back to blissful memories.
What goofy little trinkets have found their way into your room this year? Let us know on Instagram @VALLEYmag!
