I once threw away an empty plastic water bottle while on vacation. Just before I threw it away I thought to myself: “Maybe I should keep this, it might come in handy. I’ve been carrying it around all day and it has been supremely useful. Throwing it in the trash as if it was broken or not functional feels like a waste. Let me ask my wife about this.” I asked her and she said I should throw it away. I did but first I kept it in my hand while we took a photo so I’d have something to remember it by.

I still think about this often.