Time Capsule

Cost – $5.00 – $10.00 depending on what you choose to include in your time capsule.

Creating a time capsule is a great way to reflect on the good things from the past, and prepare for the future. We put together a time capsule for less than $5 by mostly using things around the house. If you’re looking for something to do without spending much money, this might be just what you’re looking for.

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SHE SAID:

From time to time it’s fun to imagine what the future might hold. When I was 16 and tried to think of where my life would be in 10 years I probably couldn’t think of much more than having a university degree and being married. There’s a lot of talk when you’re graduating and going to university about your future, but once you hit your late 20’s there’s not so much of that.

Creating a time capsule was a great motivational tool to keep us thinking about what we want for our future and how we’re going to get there. Now that I’m 26 and look ahead another 10 years I feel like I know what I want for my family and myself better than when I was 16. I used to have a tendency to think that once I reached 25 that life’s excitement was over and there were no more huge milestones to reach, but now I realize that was crazy talk. When I think ahead 10 years at the thoughts of being 36 I don’t feel as panicked as I used to. Instead, I think of all the things we have to look forward to like trips, children, and other new experiences.

Though the thoughts of creating a time capsule may be appealing, it’s not something you can easily put together in a short time span. If you want to make it good and worth opening in 10 years, you’ll have to put in lots of thought and preparation. It might be useful to spend one afternoon just brainstorming ideas and then another afternoon cold be spent gathering materials and assembling the actual time capsule. You could probably even stretch it into 3 dates if you wanted to put more thought into the appearance of your time capsule than just a cardboard box like ours.

HE SAID:

We recently spent some time purging our basement. It’s an unfinished basement, so we’ve been using it mainly for storage. At first it was just a few items sitting down there in the dark, but over the past few years it has grown a little messier than we like.

In the process of this cleaning spree we came across a lot of things that we put in boxes 3 and a half years ago when we left our separate homes and got married. I found old pictures from my childhood, old school books, awards from piano recitals, etc. It was a lot of fun to look through everything, so I can’t wait to break open our time capsule in ten years and look through it.

We started by adding things about our culture that might make us laugh in ten years like a magazine that showcases how people dress in 2010, some flyers with the current gadgets and gizmos, a list of current gas prices, among other things.

We also added some more personal items. We both made a “Favourites” list of our top 5 movies, tv shows, and musicians that we like right now. I can’t wait to see how my taste in movies and music changes over the course of ten years. We then made up separate ten year plans. We wrote down where we want to be in 2020, what our hopes and dreams are, you get the idea.

One fun item we threw into the time capsule is a USB thumb drive. It wasn’t included because we think it’s cutting edge technology or anything. Instead we filled it with pictures. I threw in screen shots from various websites like CNN, CBC, the current Billboard music charts, movies that are playing at Empire Theatres, as well as pictures of the car we drive and the house we live in. I’m sure those will be fun to look back on in ten years. Here’s hoping I’ll actually be able to use a USB device in ten years.

Once everything was together, we put it all in a cardboard box. We then labelled it and sealed it tight with packing tape. Since we just purged out our basement, we have a nice little empty spot underneath the stairs, so that’s where the box will sit until we move.

Of course if you make your own time capsule it doesn’t have to be set aside for ten years. We simply decided to wait that long to make the impact bigger when we open it. If you do decide to make one, make sure to include things that showcase current technology, trends, and costs of living. Don’t forget to include a few personal items as well. We included a funny pen that Susan bought when she first started teaching, my little Batman and Batmobile toys, and a souvenir from a trip to PEI where we held hands and got them dipped in wax.

I think we did a good mix of things that will make us remember this time period, as well as things that will bring back good personal memories. Making a time capsule can be a lot of fun. Don’t be afraid to take your time with it. Everyone’s time capsule will be different, so don’t feel too pressured to include anything that we did. If you’ve ever put a time capsule together before we’d love to hear about it. If you haven’t, go ahead and give it a try!