What Matters Most

I saw a movie earlier today called Leap Year. Besides being incredibly corny, this movie had a thought provoking side as well. In it, many of the characters were asked or forced to prioritize their lives and affections. One character primarily followed a social-climbing agenda, while another followed his heart to a meaningful and lasting relationship. And over and over, all the main characters were asked what they would save from a fire, if they could only save one or two things -- which got me to thinking.

What would I save from a fire? What means enough to me that I absolutely cannot replace it?

Let's start with my boyfriend. I absolutely love him, and there isn't an hour gone by where I don't think of him. So of course, anything from him is gonna be saved- but the bracelet he gave me never leaves my wrist, so I wouldn't have to consciously look for it to save it, it would just sort of happen.

My friends? Besides pictures and other small mementos, which I can call to memory and picture easily, I have some jewelry given to me by friends, which i never take off.

My uncle? My late, great Uncle James was and is my best friend, and my god-dude -- naturally he means a lot to me, and I would want to save whatever I could of him, but that consists of a necklace which, as you can probably guess, I never remove from my neck.

My family? A bracelet on my other arm. My heritage? Another necklace. Connection to all of the above? My phone never leaves my pocket.

But as I wrote this, it's hit me. For me, at least, its not about what I save that's important. It's WHO I save that matters. And so, in response to a core theme in Leap Year, I would save me: by saving me, I save my memories and all the mementos I hold dear, and I preserve all that I hold dear, from my amazing boyfriend to memories of my Uncle James.

Now let's turn this question around:

If you had 60 seconds to save what you could from your burning house or room, what would you save and why?