The world seems to be made up of two types of people: collectors and non-collectors. I have to confess that I'm a member of that second group, and sometimes have difficulty understanding why people amass collections of...stuff. It's been my observation that collectors thrive on nostalgia, while non-collectors are thrilled by the latest and greatest gadgets, electronics, and so forth. I do know someone who has a collection of personal digital assistants (PDAs) dating back to their inception, but I consider him an exception to the rule. Most of my friends who are collectors accumulate a rather odd assortment of items. One couple I know collects baseball memorabilia, and owns at least a hundred baseball bats, several dozen autographed baseballs, and other items relating to baseball. I suspect they're genetically predisposed to collecting, since they also own collections of advertising tins, crockery, and pen knives. The last time I visited, they had just mounted a display of...can openers. Yes, those old metal can and bottle openers that hark back to the days before twist-off bottle caps and pop-top soda cans. Another friend has a collection of cows. No, not living, breathing bovines, but items with cow-related themes. She's more of a generalist, and not terribly picky about what enters her collection. A different friend, who collects PEZ dispensers (you know, that nasty-tasting candy that kids seem to love), is very specific about which containers constitute an acceptable addition to her collection. As a non-collector, it's sometimes difficult to navigate through gift occasions. I once made the mistake of admiring a friend's unique salt and pepper shakers. Although I adamantly do not collect salt and pepper shakers, she now religiously gives me a new set of ceramic salt and pepper shakers every Christmas. She has even talked another friend into giving me gifts that will add to my "collection." It's not that I'm ungrateful for the gifts; it's just that I believe a person only needs two sets of salt and pepper shakers - one to use everyday and a second for large dinner parties. I dearly love my friends - one of whom collects atomizers for fragrances and another who collects Zippo lighters, but sometimes they simply go too far. One friend's garage is chockfull of camping paraphernalia dating back 30 years or more. He never uses it and constantly complains about his lack of storage space, yet continues to add to his collection. E-commerce has only fueled the fires of my collector friends. They no longer have to go shopping at garage sales or antique stores to find their knives, Zippos, and camping gear. Now they can go online. They trade with other collectors, are addicted on online auctions, and ferret out the e-commerce sites that specialize in their collectible. I simply shake my head in wonder, and turn my attention to the latest gadgets and electronics. Once I have my tunes loaded into my iPod nano, though, I'll have to remember to dust off those salt and pepper shakers. |
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