Collecting Time and Other Useful Stuff...
Time is LINEAR...it moves FORWARD, and every single one of us moves right along with it, and pretty much at the same pace.
We really don't have much choice to do otherwise, unless we're taking that big "dirt-nap".
So, in essence, that would make ALL of us "time-travelers"...after a fashion.
Now, I don't know about YOU, but if I had my druthers, I'd prefer to be able to flow back and forth throughout time.
Be kinda cool to see myself in younger days and drop off a few "notes" (to myself) to not make certain missteps or pay attention to other things a bit more (like stay in college for one thing...lol). Be real nice to visit my parents and others that have gone on already, too.
And it would be great to visit pivot points in the past in order to LEARN from them.
But, since Doc Brown isn't gonna be pulling his Mr. Fusion-powered DeLorean up into MY driveway any "time" soon (a bit of ironic intent THERE, eh?), I suppose I'm stuck right along with everyone else as we meander into whatever future awaits.
And, since we're all on this journey together to some degree (on the same planet for instance - no getting around THAT fact either), it would be in our interest to make the BEST of this trek.
We can blog about our experiences, keep a diary or journal, or even maintain some sort of "scrapbook".
I believe that every one of us is a COLLECTOR of sorts.
I know I am...and about too many times over to boot.
Some collections become costly, like those people that collect automobiles.
(I can only drive ONE at a time)
And those collections can fast become PRICELESS.
Many of us collect smaller items (that thankfully take up a LOT LESS space, much to the glee of our significant other).
And that's why some people collect coins or stamps.
We tend to focus collecting on aspects of our lives that seemed to matter more to us than other parts, and there's nothing wrong with that.
Always good to be able to "revisit" an era that brought you some happiness.
Now, my collections are many and varied.
I used to collect comics (from as far back as the 1960s), but stopped in the last decade, mainly because of the ever-rising cost of each issue.
Thankfully, that "silver-age" collection is still worth a nice healthy chunk of change, and once in a while, I go out and purchase some "special" issue to add to it, but the days of waiting anxiously at the corner drugstore with my cohorts for the magazine bundle to arrive are long gone.
So are those prices of TWELVE CENTS AN ISSUE...!
(Twenty-five cents for annuals and premiere issues)
It's more about GRAPHIC NOVELS these days...that cost upwards of $5 a shot per issue.
Kinda takes the "fun" out of it, at least for the kid in me.
Wifey and I have also collected Star Trek figures, and have amassed a rather sizable montage of figures from all the series, ranging from the (numbered) 5 inch figures to the 12 inch figures.
I still have my original G.I. Joes (12 inch version) from the '60s, but sadly, I parted with most of the accessories and vehicles...must have paid for quite the college tuition for one of my cousins in upstate PA...and I hope he REMEMBERS it...LOL!
When talking with Chris and Laurie, I told them about our one upstairs bedroom, which looks like a mini toy store with all the stuff in there.
Action figures on the walls, stuffed animals from movies and cartoons, and a few boxes of items that are all part of collections.
The pictures speak for themselves.
I also like to collect things related to GARFIELD the cat.
Every year, I get the calendar...been doing so since the mid 1990s.
And I also have a set of collector plates (numbered) with Jim Davis' signature (nice find from a past life of mine).
I have collected rock albums, soundtracks, movies I enjoy, matchbox/hot wheels cars (small but cool collection there), Star Wars figures (only certain ones), Babylon 5 figures (have the complete set), and anime Gundam figures.
I also have the complete paperback sets of all the ORIGINAL James Bond novels, and the Sherlock Holmes stories, as well as anything pertaining to the TV show from the late '60s I SPY (Bill Cosby /Bob Culp). I have managed to get ALL the paperbacks from that show, and have movie and TV tie-in novels from a lot of flicks & shows I've seen.
Mrs. Bobby G has a huge collection of Beanie Babies in the basement...all contained (mostly) in one of those old candy store glass front display cases (damn thing's about 7 feet long with 2 shelves), and that is filled to the brim.
I would say she also collects SHOES, HANDBAGS and MAKEUP, but as any married man knows, those are not really considered "collectables"...LOL!
We collect things that make us content...that provide a level of "comfort", as it were, in a world that finds us unwilling participants in the chicanery of politics, the loss of morality and civility, and all the other nonsense that intrudes into our lives, totally unwanted.
Yes, we can collect spoons from states we visited, Hummel figures from around the world, or even photographs of our adventures through our lives, and it's all designed to make us smile whenever we take a look at them in passing.
We can collect bottle caps, matchbooks, thimbles, or even old farm tools.
We collect signs, doorknobs, pins, buttons, or broaches.
Doesn't matter what we do collect...what does matter is that we seek to retain part of our life, usually from our past, as a reminder that we, as individuals DO have VALUE...and every bit as much as the items we collect.
To that end, I would have to say that ALL of this is what makes us so very unique.
It's this aspect of the human condition that not only helps to set us aside from every other species, but sets us all aside from one another IN that uniqueness. We can all be separate but still equal in that regard.
Our blogs are the logical progression of our collecting spirit.
If you search around the blogosphere, you can find a LOT of things to suit anything you desire. And you can also find that others share the want of collecting.
Some folks blogs about life...others about moments in history (I like finding those...you can learn a lot). Some people blog about recipes or old movies, while others blog about everyday activities (they enjoy sharing life with others).
Still more people share funny stories or jokes, while others chronicle life on the job as well as at home.
It's refreshing to see that people want to share with others.
And, as a result, we find ourselves "collecting" once again...acquiring new friends and acquaintances.
We can't help it really...it's in our nature. We are social beings.
We swap tales, items of interest, and even times of woe.
And if we had the chance to do it all over again, we'd come right back to it all here.
I suppose if there is ONE thing we all like to collect "together"...it's memories.
We cherish the opportunity to make that possible at every chance we get.
Funny thing about them however...we can't just set them all on some shelf to collect dust and then take them down whenever the mood suits us.
We can keep them all close to our hearts, and perhaps in that way, always have them accessible.
Any collection is worth keeping as long as it means something TO YOU.
And the manner in which you keep your collection is every bit as important.
Like I said at the top, it can be a diary, a journal, or a blog.
What matters to you is that you DO collect a part of your life, even if you're not that aware of it.
That's not too bad a thing for any "time-traveler", is it?
It does make a pretty good legacy, also.
Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay safe out there, America.