Day 4852

I'm beginning to realize why I used to collect things. When I collected watches I was always looking for interesting and affordable old watches. I did a lot of reasearch and bought watches from all over the world. I read books on how to repair watches and began to accumulate watch repair tools. My interest in watches even led to having several watch brands and retailers as clients. All this kept me busy, but how many watches do you really need? I just wear an Apple watch now.

I've had similar experiences with collecting other things. I collected model trains and construction equipment for a while. I can't even remember how I became interested in this, but there were little brass trains all over the house for many years. I never built a model railroad or joined a club. I just liked the way these precise little models looked. They were art. I remember the best models were made in Japan and Korea. 

When I was young and living in Seattle I  collected art. I went to gallery openings and was always on the lookout for up and coming artists. I didn't spend much but I did have a good eye. I was surprised decades later to discover that some of the things I had acquired in my 20's were worth a lot. Eventually I sold everything at an auction house in New York and I haven't been interested in art since.

Collecting things was kind of like a perpetual treasure hunt. I didn't need any of these things and eventually began to wonder what I was doing with this stuff. It wasn't the stuff that mattered, it was the process of finding it. You read books to collect knowledge. You travel to collect experiences. I think a lot of photography is just collecting memories. Collecting things is a way of learning. Maybe I need something new to collect.

There was certainly nothing new today. I did exactly the same things I did yesterday and the day before. I don't really get bored because my mind wanders a lot. I'm always wondering about things while I walk and spend a lot of time at the computer going down rabbit holes on the Internet. If I lived in Florida I'd spend a lot more time chasing rockets. Probably attending launches is just another way of collecting things. Just like watches or model trains, each launch is very similar. There is just enough difference to keep you wanting to see one more. Hopefully, I will get approved to attend a few launches toward the end of this month. I'm certainly not collecting anything else these days.

We've almost stopped worrying about Dawn. The swelling in her neck is gone and her front legs don't seem shaky anymore. We'll keep the step at the foot of the bed and try our best to keep her from jumping. It was frightening to see her start to stumble and fall. I've always worried more about our dogs health than my own, but health issues are always on the table. Sickness can come out of nowhere and it makes you quickly realize how fragile life is.

Molly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day