Nostalgia Ninja: Hobby or Just More Stuff?

Many of you probably know the topic just from the header, eh? Jill mentions a hobby? Got to be LEGO.

You're not wrong. I mean, look at these adorable LEGO creations I built last night! Even as naked gingerbread people they are so cute. But then, they transform into ornaments! How am I supposed to stay away from a brand new LEGO Store that opens within walking distance from my office, right in downtown Spokane, just weeks before Christmas!? It's the closest such storefront for 273.4 miles. 

I bought those fake little cookie people despite the fact that the Nostalgia Ninja has been creeping around my mind again, challenging me to battles over all my stuff. Since first acknowledging the ninja a year ago August, I have divested my apartment of very few items. But the things I have given up, I haven't missed. 

So far, the lack of regret has not made the paring down any easier. When it comes to LEGO sets, the nostalgia is fierce. I mean, I have my very first sets, with the boxes fully in tact. They even survived a fire at my home 20 years ago because I had them stored in Rubbermaid bins!! 

In truth, I am not looking to lighten my load so much that I would give up those sets. Nor many of the others I have collected over, well, essentially, my whole life. The great ninja battle centers around buying more. I love LEGO, I am a certified AFOL (Adult Fan of LEGO). But here's the plain truth, I don't need more sets to indulge in the pure joy I get from sitting at my kitchen table steadily building a spray of bricks into Harry's escape from Privet Drive, Luke's X-Wing fighter, or Santa's workshop. 

You see, I established as an 8-year-old that I liked to construct my sets, or free build by creating something of my own imagination, leave the models to sit on my bookshelf for a spell, then meticulously separate every big, medium, and tiny brick, store them in the boxes they came from, and eventually rebuild them another time. Each rebuild is as thrilling, and relaxing, as the previous session. Given this practice of mine, I've got enough stock to participate in my hobby for years to come without repetition. 

Oh ho, see what I did there? I referred to all those LEGO sets in the closet of the spare room as my hobby. So, it's not just stuff!

Maybe what that stealthy ninja is trying to beat into me is that I've reached a tipping point. The collection is awesome and fun, no need to pare it down. But definitely a need to enjoy what I have, rather than long for more. 

After all, I have SEVEN sets that I have not even built yet.