Trinket box of tiny treasures brings joy, sunshine

FINDLAY — From the street, it looks like any other little free library or pantry, but you won't find a book or a jar of peanut butter inside. Instead, the refurbished electrical box planted in front of the Crystal Avenue home of Carah and Jay Alvarez and their son, Jayden, holds trinkets like stickers, keychains, polished rocks, seashells, little figurines, bubble wands and other well-loved knickknacks. And an old tool box that sits below the shelf offers small, simple grab and go craft kits with all of the needed materials and instructions included except scissors and glue. "The cutest thing is the kids will come, and adults, too, and they grab things. And you see them hours later bringing something, like they just went through their whole house looking for something to trade, which is what I would do," Carah laughed. A ribbon cutting of the shelf was held in February. Carah calls it the West Coast Whimsical Forest of Trinkets and invites all ages "to enjoy, and hopefully you'll leave with a pocket full of sunshine." Jayden is one of the greatest motivators for the neighborhood exchange, she said. The soon-to-be high school senior has autism. "Watching him experience the trinket shelf has reminded us that joy looks different for everyone," Carah said. He loves to search for treasures to exchange. "But what is most rewarding is watching him carefully pick out little things he knows I will love. He walks away beaming with pride and excited, and he gets to give something meaningful to someone else," she said. "A friend came by on the Fourth of July, and he pulled something out for her, and it was so thoughtful." That youthful wonder and curiousity is what Carah hopes others will take with them. She bases her own wonderment on the book, "Me Before You," by Jojo Moyes. A character in the book talks about having glittery wellie boots and bumble bee tights when she was young. "And it is something that stuck with me because that's like a youthful thing. She wanted her glittery wellies and her bumble bee tights, but as she got older, she couldn't find the bumble bee tights and the glittery wellies," said Carah. "That's always been something with me. I'm almost 50. I love things that still bring joy." That's always been her goal, according to Carah. "I love the significance of being different and youthful still, and I just think that's so important. I think that's a big part of what's being lost lately," she said. "The trinket shelf and the craft exchange, it's never been about the treasures and the handmade crafts. It was always about the people. The family moved to Findlay from California. A few years ago they decided to host a Halloween carnival in the front yard of their home at 920 Crystal Ave. with cotton candy, popcorn and prizes. Carah said it's grown from maybe 100 people attending the first year to over 200 last year. "People love it. It is a lot of fun. I'm always trying to do stuff for the neighborhood because there just isn't a lot. And there's enough kids in the area where there should be things for them to do," she explained. Autistic children, are often taught how to conform to the world. "Not that they want to fix them, but typically I find that there was more, you've got to be like this which I understand in a sense, and the expectations instead of being celebrated for who they already are. Our family has chosen a different path," she said. "Rather than trying to change who he is, we look for ways to help him express himself in ways that come naturally to him." The trinket shelf has become one of those ways, she said. "It gives him a chance to connect, to give, receive and experience community without having to become someone else first," said Carah. "And it's giving him a social outlet in that way. He doesn't have to be one-on-one which he can get a little uncomfortable with." She said her heart is with teens and young adults. "There's a gap in between becoming an adult, and it's so exciting to be an adult. You're almost too quick to make it happen, but they lose being kids," said Carah. "That's why getting just a little bit of something and that pocket full of sunshine is so important. And I love watching it." "So I just hope I'm bringing some joy, and our family's able to provide something for them," she added. Rules at the shelf and craft box are simple — take a trinket, leave a trinket. Keep it small enough to fit into a pocket. No broken things, only treasures worthy of a second story. Notes of inspiration, tiny blessings and bits of forest lore are warmly welcomed, but no food or candy. Carah said there's even a sensor light by the pole because some people visit in the evening when they're walking their dogs. "It brings me joy and my family joy. I think we're all winning," she said. They next hope to provide a board game and puzzle exchange. "We know our youth are facing incredible pressure and a growing mental health crisis. I can't solve those problems. I wish I could," she said. "But I hope this little exchange offers moments of comfort, creativity, belonging and delight because in the end this isn't really about trinkets and crafts. If someone walks away smiling because they found a tiny treasure, made a craft, shared something they loved or simply felt like they belonged, then the trinket shelf and craft exchange has done exactly what it was meant to do," said Carah.