Collections….

What’s that mean to you? Sure, if you’re like me, pretty much paycheck to paycheck (RUNNNNN MySpace women!)… it means “Oh shit, car broke down… I’ll skip this one and this one, pay mosta that one”.. and, a week or two later you get letters from the nice folks threatening turning over to collections - or phone calls from persistent little cuss’s that won’t take “no” (I can’t) for an answer.

Or mebbe you thoughta the baseball card collector… People collect lots, and in varieties… Barbie Dolls, Seashells, Flamingos, Music, Movies, lighthouses, trophies, medals, certificates, ticket stubs, koo koo clocks, awards, citations, love notes, antiques… yada yada yada…..

Funny. The collector in life, when he/she expires - the family just isn’t lined up to say “dibs” on the collection. No, it’s more about “Estate sale or Auction?”… “Whaddaya think the house'll bring in today’s market?”..”You take the sofa, the box springs and the dryer, we get the ‘97 T-Bird.”

I’ve been a collector of material items, but I’ve never stayed in it for the longterm. Yes, baseball cards. A trophy here and there. Newspapers from HUGE current events.. This n that, really not all that much.

Some people even collect money. To some, it’s “Everything”, to others, they balance.. The lucky ones…

The kinda collectin’ I’m big into is everyday stuff. Stuff we’ll carry with us to the day of our last breath - that simply means so much internally. Stuff that’s etched into our brain…

Events, moments from childhood. For me? Kick the can with the entire neighborhood.. Going to the local college to watch the KC Chiefs train.. Little League.. Christmas at grannies.. regular ole family dinners.. Watching my folks, sister in plays…my kinda collectin’..

High School. I know there are those out there that had “not-so-great” experiences. I’m sorry for you. Maybe a different place/time, woulda been different. I loved the day, and can still recite everything from my first hour class in 9th grade - to the day we wore the gowns. A blast. Collections. Many.

College. I was in the Animal House fraternity. Imagine that? NO Victor, SURELY not you? KMA we had a blast. I didn’t have a brother growing up. (God rest my sister’s soul cause I love/loved her to no end and would NEVER trade our relationship).. Fraternity/college life was quite a collection. Mems fade but every once in awhil I’ll remember something like shaving off Vifquin’s left eyebrow whilst he slept, and it’s like “I’m there.”

The miracle of being a parent. Any dough-dough can supply sperm, egg. The lucky ones amongst us enjoy the collections of memories therein. There were times I truly wanted to pinch myself to see if “life really is getting EVEN better every step of the way.”

Whilst I don’t really remember my 21st, 30th, 40th, 50th… I’ll never forget the first time I drove the car, alone… my first job… my first “you know”… first bit of trauma associated with “oh shit, my company went belly up.. The hell do I do now?”… the horrific sting of losing a loved one… Sting, whilst not a good thing, maybe is if you think about it. Imagine if a loved one passed and there was no sting. To feel, even in loss, is a good thing.

There’s simply not gonna be much for show when I depart this planet. Tis my hope though, along the way I’ve helped ‘crop-dust’ fun in life. Yes, I’ve gone overboard. Yes, I’ve been the other way - sat in the house for days, weeks, months. Yes, I’ve not spent/saved wisely, choosing (Pavlov’s dogs) to get out and enjoy every day, push the limit an old fart like me can take.

Collections? Material ones, no not really. Collections? Of life? You’re damn tootin’.

Regrets? Sure, hell.. GPS, Garmin, Onstar, that crap didn’t come along until just recently. We all make wrong turns.

I have been, however, quite the ‘collector.’ I will awaken tomorrow, in hopes of adding to my “collection.” As much as I love being here/writing, having these collections to recollect - I wish all these years I’da owned (and used) a little tape recorder. That’d be blessed.

Hell. Maybe I’ll add that to my collections. Collectively speaking, love Victurd.