An ordinary item can become cherished through the company attached to it.

Objects absorb the people who were present. A cheap mug from a holiday, a pen somebody lent you, a chipped plate from a flat you shared: none is any good on its own terms, and each carries an afternoon and a person you liked. That is why replacing them with something better never works. The value is stored in the association rather than in the thing.

When you tidy, be careful with what would look like clutter to a stranger. And if you want to give somebody something lasting, use the object well together first. Presence is what does the work later.