What’s the difference? Semantics, or sentimentality? When does collecting become hoarding, or does it? I’ve asked myself this question before, but after my daughter’s ordeal with bed bugs, the pressure’s on. Having to sanitize all her things in case bed bugs had gotten into them, lowered their value from necessities to just plain stuff. Most of what she didn’t need or want, decor and clothes, were donated to Goodwill. Even the guy accepting the 4 carloads groaned when he saw the garbage bags being handed over to the charity. It’s probably inundated with peoples’ castoffs, and somebody’s got to go through all of it to see what’s sellable, and what’s trash. I’m glad it’s not me! I’m positive my daughter agrees that it’s not for her as well.

As someone who dabbles in antiques, mostly because I love the thrill of the hunt, as well as finding, and perhaps owning, that hidden gem. But three decades have uncovered many treasures, or junk, depending on who you ask. Vintage buffs ooh and ahh as they wander through my home; modernists seem to cringe at the sight of so much…stuff. It’s easy to pick them out. They say nothing as their eyes seem to say what they don’t dare utter. Yuck! And now I’m beginning to see what they see, that I may actually be a hoarder.

I’m an organized collector, or hoarder, depending on your like or dislike of things from yesteryear. An interior designer at heart, but not by profession, I’m pretty adept at melding everything into a cozy backdrop for family living. My husband loves relaxing amongst my cache of things, as does my daughter when she visits. In fact, she’s been bitten by the antiques bug…but not to the extent it bit me. Living in a small apartment helps her remain more of a minimalist. Something I’m striving for as I age. My daughter has already opted not to inherit most of my…”opala”…Hawaiian…for, you guessed it…stuff.

So my mission is to weed out and sell off the least favorite amongst my “treasures.” If I begin now, and I am, I may whittle my collection, or hoard, down within the next 25 years. I’d like to get it done faster…but knowing me, and I do, unless I get bedbugs to help with the task, I’ll probably continue to hoard…as I downsize my collection. Does that make any sense?

i’m a collector of antiquities…or a hoarder of junk…or both…hugmamma.