Container Assignment Personal Narrative

Alexa Wilson

If I was forced to leave my home forever, the most precious items I would want to take

with me would be a shoe box, a ring, a drawing, a name tag, a playbill, charms, and competition

numbers.

In my opinion, the most interesting of the seven items is a shoe box titled: “Good Times

& Crazy Friends Make the Best Memories.” My best friend Lula made me this box on my 8th

birthday, the year we met. She filled it with little trinkets and messages she had saved that year to

remind us of all the good times we had together. I loved it so much. So six months later, on her

birthday (my half-birthday), I did the same thing and filled it with all the things I had acquired

from our time together. Afterward, it became a tradition that we give each other the box on their

birthday and then keep it until the next one comes up. This way, we both have it exactly six

months out of the year, and we don't have to stress about what to gift one another since we both

hate trying to find gifts for the ones we love. I currently have the box, but Lula’s birthday is this

week. I am so excited about what I have added for her, but sad to see it go. We plan to go

through the box on graduation day and probably cry reminiscing about all the memories we have

made together throughout the years and the ones still to come.

My next item is a tiny crown ring with a pink gem in the center. I have been to Disney

World ten times and have plans to travel back this Christmas. It is my favorite place to be any

time of the year, and not only do I have so much fun with my family in the parks, but the trips

themselves are so fun to plan because there is a strategy to ensure we have the best time possible.

The first time we visited the parks was in 2013. During that trip, my dad purchased the ring from

a luxury jewelry store in Magic Kingdom without me knowing. He intended to give me the tiny
ring on our last trip while we still lived under the same roof. However, last year, he and I went

just the two of us to a soccer tournament I was participating in at Disney's Wide World of Sports

Complex, and he felt like that was the most appropriate time to give me the ring. Although it is

too small for me to wear, it is a beautiful reminder of all the memories we have made at the

parks.

Another item I included in my box was the most recent drawing my baby cousin, Charlie,

made me. My aunt, uncle, and five-year-old cousin come over for dinner every Sunday, which

has always been our tradition from the day I was born. But since she's been able to draw, Charlie

has brought me a drawing every week. They also recently started to have handwritten notes for

me to read. I have kept every single one in a pretty box in my closet and plan to return them to

her on her eighteenth birthday so we can look through them together.

The red “Wilson” name tag is just like the ones the army gave my dad to put on all his

bags while he was active duty. When I started playing soccer, my dad had one made for me that I

have kept on all of my soccer bags throughout my life, from my duffle bags when I was little to

all my different NCFC bags, and now it is on my new Wake FC bag. It has always been there

with me as I grew up and fell in love with the sport that has become the most prominent and

most loved aspect of my life.

I also put a Hamilton playbill from the Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC) in my

container because my little brother and I watched Hamilton for the first time on TV together and

became obsessed. We are both very interested in history and music and often get into in-depth

conversations about them, so this was perfect for us. We begged our parents to get us tickets

when we heard it was coming to Durham, and when they did, we sang the songs from the play

together almost daily so that we would know every lyric going into the show. Since then, we
have gotten really into musical theater as it's something we can enjoy together. We have seen five

other shows at DPAC and have plans to travel to New York City this year to see Hamilton on

Broadway.

The purple container in my box contains dozens of charms my grandma has gotten me

over the years. I have a close relationship with my grandmother, and we have hour-long

conversations every Sunday before my aunt comes over. But she lives in Illinois, meaning we

don't get to see her very often. So every year, on a major holiday, or when I won a soccer

tournament, or whenever she felt like it, she would send me a new charm to put on the chain she

got for me when I was a baby to represent the occasion. Over the years, I have collected several

Christmas trees, soccer balls, hearts, pumpkins, snowmen/snowflakes, etc.

Lastly, I included two competition numbers from the first race my mom and I ever ran

together. They were from the WRAL Nights of Lights 10k a few years ago that we only ran

because we wanted to see the lights and learn what it was all about. Then afterward, we went to

BJ’s to get brookies to celebrate. But after having a great experience, we not only made that race

a tradition, but we now also participate in at least five other races of varying lengths throughout

the year to exercise, have fun, and get Brookies.