21 Comments
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EG's avatar

Fascinating topic, bravo F. I used to collect subbuteo teams as a 5yr old which I still have to this day ☺️

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kingflum's avatar

Proof we never grow up ☝️🤣

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The Journe Identity's avatar

I’m fascinated with this topic. If we look at these collectors, (myself included) we would likely find they began collecting “something” at a very early age. For me it was model cars, books, then skateboards. At one point I had over 20 boards! What a fun read Flum! 👑

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kingflum's avatar

Mate I think even collected Y shaped sticks to make handheld slingshots using tyre rubber and wire harvested from old toy motors. Unbelievable memories!

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The Journe Identity's avatar

Great memories! 👊🏾

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Zhenya's avatar

I think it all starts at very young age, when you can barely walk but already picking up every pretty stone on your way :)

Amazing writing 😌

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kingflum's avatar

Awesome to see new faces in the comments, thank you for taking the time 🙏🥂

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Zhenya's avatar

Pleasure is mine ☺️ this time I wasn’t like Alice in wonderland falling into the rabbit hole 🤣

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Imran's avatar

Love that at the end of the day we all ended up collecting football stickers, toy cars, sea shells etc that gave us some form of purpose and happiness. We’re in many ways the same as the bird collecting blue trinkets. Insightful as always 💯

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kingflum's avatar

It seems like a core part of forming our identities growing up. And sometimes it’s a matter of memories too - the other day my kid emptied out some tiny acorns from his backpack. Turns out, he remembered collecting them with his cousin in Africa a year before - and still wants to keep them!! No idea why. Not sure he knows either.

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Imran's avatar

Love it, mine has a pile of sticks he’s collected over probably the last year that he brings home and keeps on the terrace and we aren’t allowed to ‘return to nature.’ You just reminded me how when he was 2 he would exclaim in wonderment ‘look baba a leaf!’ And proceed to pick them up and collect them to. Fascinating how this starts from such a young age.

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Bruce L's avatar

Thinking back upon it now I realize that when I was 13 or 14 years old that I began collecting colognes!

I haven’t even remembered that until now. Probably almost half a century ago 🤯😳

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Bruce L's avatar

I probably had 14 or 15 of them on mine bedroom dresser ..... don’t know when that habit stopped but now I’m down to one ☝🏼 1️⃣ 🫠🫣😎

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kingflum's avatar

Ha! I still do that - have about 50-60 😨

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Bruce L's avatar

😳😮

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Bruce L's avatar

OK I DID know what lepidopterist meant ....... so this footnote was not as important to me as the one re: GADA 🤓🧐🤣

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kingflum's avatar

At least 😁🫶

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TheFamilysTime's avatar

Thank you for this. I’ve struggled for years to describe it and to understand the deepest why behind collecting. But this quote at the end “This is ecstasy, and behind the ecstasy is something else, which I cannot explain. It is like a momentary vacuum into which rushes all that I love” will have to suffice as they are the only words that come close enough to explaining the deeper why

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kingflum's avatar

Thank you for responding… I share your sentiments entirely - he seemed to have “got it” to the same degree. Not fully, but close enough

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NH01's avatar

I collect cunts as friends. Delightful little hobby of mine.

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kingflum's avatar

Sounds like a death wish.

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