Freud suggests that collecting, the act and the psychology behind it, started as soon as one was being potty trained. The idea here is that we were sad to say farewell to our body’s waste and felt like we weren’t truly in control at that moment. I can’t date back to the specific moment in my life but collecting was presented to me, just like a gift (pun intended) around the age of 5. As a child, I was very aware of my surroundings and noticed that some people had art hanging on the walls of their homes, while some had fine china neatly taking centre on boudoirs. I didn’t come up with the idea of collecting but rather adopted it. I view my collections as innovations; I didn’t create the idea of collecting but I definitely made some personal improvements. I only somewhat think of collecting as a bad habit or more like a twitch you can’t control as I feel that once you begin a collection, you always have at least one collection at any given time. Though my first napkin collection did not last long, it crossed generations from my mother to me. It carried the kitschy feel from their 70’s and 80’s napkin designs and presented me with the imagery of what their eyes saw. Today, I have my most memorable collection framed, hanging on my bedroom wall. My collection of coasters takes me back to the countries I acquired them in and the people I was with when I added yet another to my collection.

These tokens to my past were responsible for creating memories just as much as helping me savour them, as I struggled to ask for coasters in French, German and Spanish. My Journey for a coaster will be one the best and longest journeys I have embarked on as of yet and I dare not dream it has an expiration date.Within this 600-800 word article, I will remind readers of their beloved collections and make them think back, as I did while writing, of what and whom led us to begin our first collection. With my somewhat eccentric collection, I hope to get readers to view their collections as more than just objects taking space but also as works of art waiting to claim their presence. I have shared my coaster collection with my family and my friends and hope to share it with my children in the future. And even though the collection may not survive for my grandchildren to see it, I hope that tales of my journey for a coaster will reach their ears.