This post is all about the great reasons to start a time capsule.
I have a time capsule. But not the kind of time capsule that you’re thinking of. Not the one that gets buried in the ground for 50 years.
Do you ever wonder about who you used to be when you were younger?
You would ask your parents, but all they had were old hand paintings that you made in kindergarten. Those arts and crafts didn’t really tell you about what you were thinking at the time, did they?
If only you had a time capsule-like the one I’m about to talk about.
What is a Time Capsule?
Well, I hate to toot my own horn but I started writing letters to my future self when I was 13 years old (So I still missed out on the first 13 years of my life).
Almost all of the letters that I had written to myself started with “Dear Future Me.”
These letters were, and currently are still, stored away in a cardboard hello kitty box that I like to call my “time capsule.”
I originally started the time capsule because I wanted to talk to my future self and ask her how she was doing and hopefully provide her tips on how to go about her life so she doesn’t make any mistakes twice.
I guess my box was supposed to serve as a friendly reminder to future me. But as time went on, writing to my time capsule box became much more therapeutic.
It made me happy that everything I was thinking and writing in the moment was being documented and preserved.
My time capsule is considered one of my most prized possessions. I don’t know what I would do if something happened to that box. I’d cry for the rest of my life. No joke.
Here are 5 reasons why I’m glad to have started writing to my time capsule box and why I think you should too (Even if you aren’t 13 years old).
This post is all about the great reasons to start a time capsule.
Disclaimer
Starting a time capsule may or may not give the same benefits to you as it did to me. This post is for informational purposes only and should be used at the reader’s own risk.
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Let’s begin.
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5 Great Reasons to Start a “Time Capsule”
1. I Can Look Back on my Thoughts at Different Stages of My Life
Since I started writing to my time capsule box when I was 13 years old, there is a lot of emotion that I put into it.
I have letters that I wrote to myself about the crushes I had and the times something made me upset (Mostly grades and people).
Some of my letters also aren’t even letters. Some of them are drawings and doodles that I’ve done.
I even have a list of K-dramas that I used to watch to remind my future self of what I used to be obsessed with.
This box is a great way to go down memory lane. It can be like a photo album but in words and thoughts instead of visuals.
2. I Have Something to Look Forward to Every Decade
I’ve decided that every decade of my life, I would open my time capsule and read its contents.
The first time I opened it actually wasn’t a decade milestone. I opened it when I graduated high school.
So there were 5 years worth of time capsule notes in there.
I think I chose graduation night as the grand opening moment because I wanted to read about how I matured and grew up over the previous 5 years.
I am still in my 20s so I have a couple of years before I can open the time capsule again. There were times when I almost gave in a couple of times to read certain letters. But I haven’t…. yet.
3. I Can Clearly See How my Handwriting Has Changed Overtime
Since it’s been a couple of years since I graduated and opened the box, I don’t actually remember how my handwriting looked throughout the years.
All I can really remember is that my handwriting was much larger when I was younger.
I also went through the phase where I wrote my i’s with circles instead of dots and I will never ever let myself go back to that time again.
There are some notes in the time capsule box that are typed, but they are longer entries.
I would definitely say my handwriting is the best it’s ever been so far (when I am intentional and take my time at least).
4. My Time Capsule Has Letters From My Friends
So I admit that I was acting very annoying with how many people I asked to write letters to my box aka me.
The prompt for them was to write anything they wanted as long as it pertained to me.
I specifically wanted them to write about what they thought of me or anything along those lines. It was okay for them to talk about themselves in the letter too because knowing how they were feeling at the time would be an interesting read also. I heavily noted that any note written to me would not be opened and read for the next 5 years.
One girl from middle school actually wrote a short note on the back of a launchable wrapper (I definitely had to clean that before I stored it away in the box for the next 5 years).
Unfortunately, 5 years later when I opened the box and saw the wrapper, her note was faded and I could barely make it out.
I also preferred to have my friends handwrite it as well. I thought having the letters handwritten would be more personal.
Some people did type it, but they were mainly for long entries too.
For example, one of my best friends’ notes was super long so she typed it. (It made me cry (In a good way)). She had written it a year or two before graduation I believe.
Another reason why I chose to open it when I graduated was that I was super curious about what my friends had written in their letters.
5. It Has Become my Personalized Collection
I know a lot of people that have collections whether they be mugs, pins, or ornaments from around the world.
For me, my collection is my time capsule box consisting of all the personal notes I had ever written to and about myself.
Don’t get me wrong, I’d like to have a collection like the people that I know, but as of right now, all I have are my letters.
How to Start Your Time Capsule
- Get a box. Any box. I used a cardboard box that used to store my giant hello kitty ceramic piggy bank.
- Cut a small hole one side of the box. This is where you will insert your notes to yourself. I made my opening small so that way I wasn’t able to reach in and grab a note and neither could someone else. This would enforce the idea of what goes in stays in until its time to open the box.
- Tape all areas of the box that could potentially be opened such as the tops or bottoms of boxes. I definitely triple taped mine to ensure I wouldn’t give in and open it before I graduated high school.
- Start writing! Write literally about anything you want. Just remember you’re writing for your future self to read it.
Ending Note
And there you have it. Almost all things about my time capsule. I’m sure I forgot some details. To this day I still write to myself, but I don’t exactly do my traditional writing on notebook paper, fold it up, and store it away anymore.
I keep a journal now.
Having a journal still carries the same concept as my time capsule. I haven’t read any of the entries that I have written so far.
When the pandemic started, I started writing in a physical journal because I was away from my time capsule box for that period of time.
I didn’t want to wait until I reunited with my box because my thoughts wouldn’t have been as authentic and I would have forgotten a lot of details on what I wanted to write about.
Ever since I started writing in the journal, I never went back to my old way. But I am still happy to know that I have my time capsule box with snippets of my past.
What are your thoughts?
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PS. My time capsule also inspired me to want to start a blog.
(My time capsule box is so important to me that I quadruple bag it in trash bags during hurricane season to make sure it doesn’t get wet and ruined. All my other materialistic things can drown)
This post is all about the great reasons to start a time capsule.
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