I’ve always had some type of collection, (I don’t know why). When I was younger it was bottles of all kinds, shapes, sizes & colors. After I moved away from home it became little treasures from places I had traveled. Sometimes that just meant seashells, post cards, jewelry, or my own photos. 

For as long as I can remember though, I’ve had a fascination with rocks & gemstones. So I’ve often picked up a rock as a souvineir from a foreign travel, or just because it was a really cool rock. These end up all around the house, windowsills, in plants or the fish tank, or as a paperweight. Eventually I’ve had to get rid of some of them, but I keep the memorable ones. I still don’t know why I do this.

Recently I attended a funeral of one of my husbands former students. Her daughter & granddaughters all talked about the rocks & shells she collected throughout her life. She even smuggled some into the country just like I did. Ahh… someone else like me, I thought.

But why do we do this? It’s beautiful, it’s unique, it feels good, it creates a memory? I don’t really know. Some might say it’s unnecessary & useless stuff that junks up the house. I use it to decorate because it evokes a feeling for me.

Do you collect something? What do your collections mean to you?