A Small Brass Find with a Huge Surprise Inside
July 1, 2024
Source: Reddit
You ever find something small, so very ordinary, which just whacks you in the heart with a flood of memories? That’s what you’d find if you opened the capsule the first time I held one of its kin.
It was this little brass thing — nothing fancy. Looked like something buried at the bottom of my grandma’s junk draw. But when I unscrewed the small top and saw the curled note inside …I was 8 again, eyes squished shut, making a wish before blowing out birthday candles, hoping for a dog or maybe just a second slice of cake.
A Glimpse into a Simpler Time
These capsules go way back. Victorian era kind of back. People would place small souvenirs, sweet messages or love tokens inside them. No emoji, no shortcuts, just honest-to-God hope inside a brass capsule.
And you would write a wish, tuck it inside, tape it closed like stern instructions on a manila envelope, and keep it close to your heart. Simple and purposeful and meaningful.
A Brass Bottle of Emotion
The capsule was made from brass with a threaded lid and built to last. Rain or shine, in heartache or in adolescent pique — at least your wish was safe.
There’s a poetic sense to locking a wish up, letting it sleep, while life continues to turn and turn. You forget about it and then one day, years later — bam — it’s like the moment you wrote that thing all over again.
The Real OG Text Message
Before things were all now all the time, people wrote things down. They even selected thoughtful presents, penned lengthy letters and exchanged items such as wish capsules.
Giving one said, “I see you. I care. Here’s a tiny bottle of hope.” No “K.” replies. No ghosting. Just something real and you could hold.
They were for birthdays, anniversaries, holidays — whenever you wanted someone to know that you loved them, that they were important.
The Relevance of the Wish Capsule
It’s quiet. It’s intentional. It links people in a more intimate way than a notification ping.
That type of connection is what we crave even now. That’s the reason why this small brass object still packs a punch. It’s reminding myself to slow down and dream a little.
A Personal Discovery
A little while back, I found one in a box that had been sitting in my parents’ attic. You know, cobwebs, mothballs, boxes that say “Xmas Stuff ‘93.”
Nestled among the cracked others was a bronze capsule. I opened it. My handwriting. Probably ten years old. The wish? “I want to be a writer some day.”
I laughed. Then cried. Because here I am, writing about wish capsules. Every now and then life comes full circle in the best possible way.
Keep the Tradition Alive
Bring back the wish capsule. Give one. Keep one. Use it for birthdays, New Years, turning 30 or 40, or any time you want to acknowledge something meaningful.
Write a wish. Seal it up. Put it away. Maybe, after years have passed, it will be the thing that recollects who you were — and what you dreamed.
Final Thought
Grab a pen. Write a wish. Roll it up. Stick it in a wish capsule. Tuck it away.
And then one day, when you come across it again, it may mean more than you ever dreamed.
A wish is still a wish. That never changes.
