Caring about objects might seem materialistic, but our things can have deep meaning and real value.

• The big picture: As we've reported, Americans have too much stuff. Much of it we don't really need and could get rid of to simplify our lives, but some stuff matters.

💭 Here's a simple question freelance photographer Foster Huntington asked people to put this in perspective for his book "The Burning House": "If your house was burning, what would you take with you?"

• "I was interested in the idea that the stuff that's really important to you isn't necessarily the stuff that's most expensive," he told The Atlantic.

🧸 The answers people gave ranged from teddy bears and leather boots to film negatives and musical instruments.

🔎 Zoom in: Our connections to objects often represent our connections to places, people or special memories.

• People living and working abroad often travel from place to place with familiar objects to make new places feel like home, BBC reports.
• The practice of carrying mementos that remind us of loved ones who have passed away dates back thousands of years, to the Iron Age, according to a study from the University of York.

The bottom line: The meaning we ascribe can turn even the most ordinary things into priceless objects.

📬 Let's kick off a new series: Send us a photo of one object you cherish and tell us why, along with your name and hometown, to [email protected] — and we'll feature your prized possessions in future editions of Finish Line.

Soak up the painted sky of the week, overlooking downtown Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada, sent by reader Adam R.