Possession Obsession - The Search for Stuff

Why do people collect things? In trying to better understand what possesses people to actively seek out various items, I found way too much information on the Internet. I had a feeling that would happen. I could spend a very long time researching this topic. I started down that road and then decided that I didn’t really need to look so deeply. After all, this isn’t a thesis I’m writing, is it? So, aside from adding some interesting links for you, I figure you can do more exploring yourself. Now that I have backed away from the more cerebral aspect of collecting, this might be a more enjoyable blog to write (and read).

Say “When”
I love people that collect things. It makes gift giving so much easier. You also learn by trial and error that collectors can be picky about the objects they collect. For example, my mother collects lions, but only ones that have closed mouths. (I could go on for a while about the symbolism of what that means, but that’s not for this topic either.) Anyway, it makes finding a suitable gift slightly more challenging. One of my sisters collects teapots. For the most part, she isn’t too picky about them (as long as it isn’t Mary Englebright). I have also tried to mix it up a bit with things like teapot Christmas ornaments. As long as you aren’t collecting things like Faberge eggs, I’ll probably do my best to find something suitable for your collection. And, you can pretty much count on me continuing down that path until you say otherwise.

Sex and the Samurai
As for me, you could say I collect a number of things. (And no, I don’t count shoes and purses as collectibles.) I would define collections as things that people generally put on display. So, that being said, I have a collection of masks and fans. My passion though, is cherries. In my research for this topic, I looked at various sources for everything from symbolism to dream interpretation. For the dream interpretation, I actually found a positive message for once. (Of course, I have never had a dream about cherries, which figures.) I tried finding some sort of psychological profile for either cherries specifically, or collectors in general, but didn’t find much that was useful.

Picking Cherries
As for my collection, it has expanded into a number of different areas. It was shoes and purses. It’s now dishes, towels, and other kitchen items, clothes, jewelry, and other accessories. Even my car hasn’t escaped. I love my cherry antenna topper for my car. It makes it so much easier to find the darn thing in a parking lot (Thanks, Mimi!). I even have a bowling bag with cherries on it (and an iPod cover!). The only thing I am really on the lookout for at this point is sheets. I have seen some, but apparently, I can be picky about my collection as well. I prefer the designs to be clean and simple. I find a lot of baby blue, which is just awful. It’s also not uncommon to find a gingham pattern with cherries. Very retro, which isn’t a bad thing. Again, baby blue = BAD.

How much is enough?
Is is possible to reach a saturation point with your collection? I find that I don’t go out of my way to look for fans anymore. Perhaps you just outgrow things over time. Unless you are a serious collector, you probably gave up the Barbies or the Star Wars figures a long time ago. In any case, I think collecting things is fun. I like the idea of being on the lookout for new things when I travel. It turns the world into one big scavenger hunt. My greatest cherry find? A whole town. I went to the National Cherry Festival in Traverse City, MI one year. It was fantastic. The strangest thing I saw (besides seeing Loverboy perform) was a chery pit-spitting contest. I practiced for it, but never entered. (insert awful pun here about being pit-iful.) No matter. I was still lovin every minute of it….ok, I’ll stop now.