What's in your necessary?

Do you have a necessary? That's not actually a word in English; it's the Swedish (necessär) for a cosmetic bag. Mine's flat, about the size of a small paperback book, and zips on one side, like a pencil case.

But it's not a pencil case, and it's also not a cosmetic bag.

"Necessary" would actually be a much better word for it (albeit somewhat worse because it already means -- meant? -- bathroom), because it's the pouch I take everywhere: I move it from bag to bag when I switch bags, along with my phone and my wallet; and if my bag is big, I often leave it hanging somewhere and just take the necessary with me.

In my necessary are:

• A pillbox containing Xanax, ibuprofen, and Pepto-Bismol tablets


• A microfiber cloth for wiping my phone screen


• A comb


• A retractable ball-point pen


• A compact mirror


• A pair of sewing scissors and a tapestry needle inside a hard plastic case that an SD card came in


• A 3mm crochet hook


• A sanitary pad


• A tube of chapstick


• A large safety pin


• 5€ in coins, which is 2 local bus fares

I've often thought I should get one that's just slightly bigger, because I had to remove the pencil sharpener I used to carry for reasons of space; and while I can cram my phone and passport inside in a pinch and use it like a clutch, there's not room for a mini-pack of tissues, which really ought to go in there; and it's difficult, though not impossible, to get a pair of earbuds in. The thing is, any replacement shouldn't be TOO much bigger and it should be opaque but waterproof, and I haven't happened to notice a good candidate yet, while this trusty friend has been serving me well for 10 years.