Tuesday, February 12, 2013

For the love of ... knicknacks

Grandma worried about me.

She had a china cabinet stacked with teetering towers of coffee mugs from places she'd visited.  My brother had a bulletin board filled with pins about politics, bands, or silly sayings.  My mom even had a display of thimbles from different states.

I collected diddlysquat.

Grandma decided I was to collect spoons.

It soon became clear to me that these spoons weren't used for cooking or eating or anything else.  They had no soul. They were made to sell.

So my well-intentioned Grandma went on her trips and brought me back spoons. One with a hula girl.  One with the Statue of Liberty. Spoons.

I preferred money. 

Only after I realized that it could be seen as a detriment did I discover I did collect something.  I had a little tin of coins people gave me from their travels.  A peso.  A Canadian penny.  A buffalo nickel. I wondered about all the people who had held them and what purchase had caused them to part ways.

My coins had soul.

But by the time I realized I did collect something, Grandma was too invested in the spoons.

Now, I don't collect coins.

Or spoons.

But I still collect stories.




12 comments:

  1. fun post! i love reading these posts today!

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    1. It's been pretty fun. I've been the last to post on Oklahoma Women Bloggers both yesterday and today. I need to get on the ball!

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    1. Yep. You know a thing or two about that, don't you, Jennifer?

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  3. So, I'm guessing it's foolish to consider bequeathing the thimbles to my daughter---if I ever find them.

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    1. Since your daughter enjoys sewing as much as you, I find it ironic that they'd be in the possession of either. ;)

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  4. Stories are the best thing to collect because they can be shared with others who need a good story. I'm SO proud of you Brandi.

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    1. AW, thank you. Yes, collecting stories sounds much less shallow than collecting money, doesn't it? ha!

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  5. I love this, Brandi. I have vague memories of my grandma giving me spoons as well. Great post!

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    1. Thanks, Heather. Maybe it's a generational thing. What was going on that someone decided one day--"Hey! Let's make spoons to collect. Naw, none of them have to match or even be safe to eat from. Cha-ching!"

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  6. This was fun! It reminded me of the Aunt that always had to give me something on our annual visit to her. Legally blind, almost deaf, and living on a fixed income, she would search her cupboards for something - a tea cup, a juice glass, a candy dish - and hand them over lovingly. The last gift that I remember was a less-than-clean used "My Little Pony" that she had won at bingo. I was 35. (And yes, I still have it) I never thought of myself as a collector until one day somebody visited my house for the first time, looked around and said "I love your collection of collections!" OK, so I collect a few things.

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    1. My dad has become quite obsessed with getting hens that lay a variety of colors of eggs for the kids. Recently, my parents acquired two roosters. THEY ARE BEAUTIFUL. I told my mom she should send you a picture of them--because, my dear, you also collect ROOSTERS.;)

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