The refrigerator stood in the kitchen with more adornments than it can take. A storyboard it appeared, with not just the props but the locations as well. These souvenirs, gathered over a period of time, were memoirs of the places travelled.

A few chits and notes of daily activities, a recipe of beetroot juice, and a fancy ribbon hung below a fridge magnet. Their co-existence has been a taken for granted affair, and to such an extent that, the particular fridge magnet is in shambles. Yet, it refuses to give up.

The dial-shaped magnet with a flat base, has remained fixed on the spot for years! It is undeniably a good quality fridge magnet. Technically speaking, it is a permanent magnet “often magnetised during manufacture with alternating north and south poles on the refrigerator side.” However, the new additions of fridge magnets appear to be ‘more of sticker and less of a conventional fridge magnet’.

Be it the familiar flowers, fruits and animals or maps, miniatures and cartoons, every house has got one or the other kind of decorative magnet for their refrigerator. In fact, customised fridge magnets with family photos in various permutations and combinations seem to add a personal touch.

A friend of mine described her collection of fridge magnets as “a source of happiness”. Indeed the fridge magnets are a source of happiness. They are the ornaments that remind us of our happier times, day after day. As for the refrigerator, isn’t it a member of our family?