Recently my husband (the Pack Rat) and I have been involved in a project to clean out our house. It was getting to the point in our garage that I was embarrassed to open the door because I feared one of our neighbors would call for a hoarder's intervention for us. Now cleaning out is a hard process for us (Did I mention that my husband is a Pack Rat?) because it usually involves shouting and tears (on my husband's part). I don't understand what is so emotional about donating 30 year old suits that no longer fit and are out of style. My husband says that he may lose weight so they will fit and and he could wear them again. Really? They are no longer in style and have been stored in totes for years!
Now to be fair I also have things I collect. No, not 30 year old clothes or all my papers from elementary school (those were a gift from my husband's mother - the Pack Rat Matriarch). I have two things that I cannot resist. The first is pens. My husband calls me a Pen Whore because I will walk up to any table, display or anything where they are giving away pens. I don't know why I need so many other than the fact that I am always on the lookout for the perfect pen. I love gel pens with soft grips that just flow so nicely when I am writing. Not that I write so much any more with a pen. Most of my writing is done on a computer. But I still do that occasional note, "to do" list or grocery list and a pen is a necessity. Usually I will collect pens until they are everywhere and then I will go through them and get rid of the ones I don't particularly like by taking them to work for the front desk or faculty resource room. So I don't really hoard pens, I just appropriate them and then recycle them at a later date. I am really doing a service to my employer bringing in lots of pens for staff and faculty to use.
The other thing I collect are tote bags. You know the ones that are made now to bring home groceries or purchases. I also collect canvas tote bags, straw bags, microfiber, leather and any other bag that will carry stuff. The best are the free ones that are given away by vendors or businesses at trade shows or community events. Last summer one of the local banks gave away very cool purple tote bags at the weekly farmer's market we visit. What a coup! I got a new bag every week and now have a great collection of vibrant purple bags. I can carry stuff everywhere. I do the same things with the bags as I do with pens, collect them and then give them away when I get too many. The students at the college where I work love it when I bring in extra bags. So again someone else benefits from my pathological collecting.
The difference between my husband (the Pack Rat) and me (the Collector) is that I collect for a while and then either sell my stuff in a garage sale or give it away. He would gather his around him and just keep it there if he did not have me prodding him to get rid of stuff.
Still I know I am not perfect. Things get messy in my life because I get too busy to clear out stuff I have collected. Often when I am cleaning out things I wonder what was I thinking when I acquired those things. Yet my stuff gets circulated and culled out periodically. You always need room for new stuff and you never know when you will find the perfect pen or tote bag!
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