By Aleshia Keyzer
Throughout the past few years, I have acquired a collection of junk. Old, eclectic, useless, beautiful things. I have no room to store the trillions of old vinyl records I’ve collected. I have no use for an old, rusted refrigerator that will never run again. And I definitely had no intentions to spend my last dollar on this incredibly old book that I will undoubtedly never read…but here I am with a garage full of vintage and less money for the necessities.
Why? This is a question I have heard multiple times from my Fiancè and my Father as they come with a truck to pick up the newest additions. This is a question I often ask myself as I raise my number at an auction to outbid the old woman across from me. And to be honest, this is a question that I can not figure out an answer to. Maybe it’s because of the character and personality each piece I find seems to have. Maybe it’s because of the picture in my head that I have of the piece redone, but never intend to actually do. Maybe it’s because of the history and time period each piece represents, which leads to inevitable daydreaming about what life must have been like back then. Maybe it’s because I like the color. I can’t say exactly because I don’t know myself. What I do know is in that moment…I need that freaking piece to come home with me.
There are worse things to be obsessed with collecting, such as: drugs, Toby Keith paraphernalia or hairless cats. We all have that one thing that catches our eye every single time we walk past it, and that’s ok. You don’t have to have an answer to every person that asks you “Why?” If it makes you happy and it’s something that you can’t seem to live without (or you can but you just don’t want to), then collect that crap (unless it’s drugs).
-Hi, my name is Aleshia and I am a junk-aholic
Aleshia Keyzer is a recent graduate from Grand Valley State University. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English and Education. To read more from Aleshia you can follow her blog at www.thekeyzerchronicles.wordpress.com
Printed in the August 6, 2016 – August 20, 2016 edition.
