I have had many collections over the years - key chains and pins/buttons are two of my biggest collections. I have been able to go through and give away or throw away many items; however, I will admit there is a box in the garage that still contains many of my keychains because I still find it difficult to give them away. Even if I did not personally purchase them I can generally remember who gave them to me.
My pins are similar in fashion and at one point I took it a step farther and added name tags from friends and families to conferences and places of employment (I still have one of my mother's volunteer name tags from the American Red Cross, an old conference badge of my fathers, and the name tag of a close friend -at the time- when he was the assistant night manager at the golden arches - a friend I have not seen or spoken to in years!) I also used to ask employees in businesses who were wearing buttons if they had extras because of this I have buttons from several different promotions from video rentals, grocery stores, and even use to have one from a bar about asking for your ID. All of these brings smiles to my face and over the years I have been able to sit down and throw some away. I eventually removed them from the item they were hanging on and now like the key chains they sit in a box.
Some collections are collections I did not personally start but were started for me and carried on by various friends and family. Such is my R2D2 collection. I love the little guy, especially his beeps and blurps - however this collection is such that I have Pepsi cans with his photo (I will admit that one was me!), a 3D puzzle that includes a sound box (my favorite part of the puzzle), a Walkman (I even used it!!), little Lego and various other items. Some are still in boxes and maintain their close to original value if not higher now. This is not a collection that I generally add to on my own; however, I have displayed these items with pride at one time - but at this time they, like the keychains and pins, are now in a box in the garage.
The challenge I faced this time wasn't only in looking at myself and what do I really collect, I struggled to move past the immediate thoughts of the collections I have started for my daughter (my obsession with pins and buttons showing up there - although I will admit that at least I have been putting them in frames immediately and she does not have boxes of "TO DO" "TO MAKE" lying around!) I thought of what my daughter would say she collects, but as I have made this a personal journey of discovery I bit my tongue and did not ask and kept thinking about it.
It was not until I got home and grabbed my phone to go and take a picture of the keychains and the buttons that I realized what I truly collect is books. I do not have pictured here the books I have on crafting, sewing, religion, school books, yearbooks, research books, hard backs, magazines, or the how-tos that I have. This picture only shows you a portion of the "fluff" - the romance novels.
I suddenly realized the one thing that I collect and even having a hard time letting go of - is my books. I'm a reader, a huge word gobbling, voracious reader. When I was a teenager, and to a great extent today, I could not put a book down once I started it until I finished it. Generally, at my prime reading ability - when left alone I can read around 100 pages an hour. I generally have a hard time remember titles and authors but can tell you a plot line in great detail (a great help if you miss portions of movies but don't expect me to remember what the characters name is!)
So, for this challenge I took a pictures of a portion of my library. It is a lot smaller then it was even five years ago. After meeting my husband, I have slowly been able to let books go, mostly to a local library where I smile when I come across them on the shelf. A trip to the library is a joke in and of itself - when I go with the purpose of actually picking up books my husband knows that I will not do anything that weekend and that the 6 or more books I take with me will be ready to go back by Tuesday.
Awesome perspective. I really enjoyed reading this post.
ReplyDelete