To my boyfriend about why I kept things from my ex

A few weeks ago my boyfriend was over. On the bed rests a teddy bear. At first he laughed, then commented that I even have a bear at 25 years old. I further explained an ex had given it to me.
"Babe, when your new boyfriend comes over you should hide your old boyfriend's teddy bear," he said.
I used to. I used to throw it under the bed or in a closet even if it was just a friend coming over. The days of shamefully hiding the teddy bear seems like ages ago now, though. 
This is my logic and call me crazy, but I've lugged this damn teddy bear around the globe for three years so I'm not just going to chunk him to the curb now. 
Two years ago I set out soul searching, if you will. Originally I lugged the bear along because I was still in love with the ex who'd given it to me. However, by the end of my two-year sabbatical from my hometown, the teddy bear had become something of a pet.  Also, what the hell do you do with an old stuffed bear? I considered chunking it in the nearest donation bin 100 times but I just couldn't do it. And here's why...
I want to remember who I was when I was positive and a good girlfriend that deserved to be given a silly teddy bear in my past relationship because I want those characteristics to carry over into my future relationship. At the same time I want to remember the negative aspects and lessons learned from my past relationship. Of all things in my past, that damn teddy bear reminds me of who I want to be and who I never want to be again. But mostly, it clarifies the kind of guy I want in my life and the kind I don't want in my life. The bear is simply a symbol of all I've left behind, overcome, bared, lost and gained. 

It's impossible to be angry at a stuffed bear regardless who gave it to you and who it reminds you of. It's impossible to hate a necklace, despite the fact you've ripped it off and replaced the chain at least a dozen times. If I continue having Taylor Swift bonfires with all the things I ever received from an ex I'm just exerting anger and negativity.
One of my favorite quotes of all time is from "Pretty in Pink," when Molly Ringwald's character Andie says she's going to that dance anyway because "I just wanna let them know they didn't break me."
I've always believed in that. I want to be stronger from my pain, heartbreak and all that other emotional bullshit. So, if I can't look at a $20 teddy bear and smile at how I've grown then I don't deserve to be happy.
This brief letter isn't just for my boyfriend but for me, other new boyfriends of the world and other girls with trinkets from their past. Maybe you can relate. Maybe you can't. I don't know but it's at least one semi decent logic to put behind hanging onto "ex things."