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an open photo album laying on top of a zebra print blanket

Do you have any collections?

As humans, we’re drawn to collectinggathering pieces of the world that spark joy, nostalgia, or curiosity. Over the years, my collections have evolved, each one a snapshot of who I was and what mattered to me. From stamps to memories, these treasures tell a story of connection, legacy, and the fleeting nature of time. My collecting journey began with the classics: stamps, coins, books, and even clothes that seem to defy decluttering. Each stamp was a tiny portal to distant lands, each coin a piece of history I could hold. My books, with their dog-eared pages, were gateways to other worlds, while my clotheswell, they’re a wearable timeline of my life’s phases. At one point, I had a beloved collection of music cassettes, their magnetic tapes holding the soundtrack of my youth. Those, along with my stamps and coins, found a new home with a relative who cherished them as… Do you have any collections?

a collection of comic books

When you were five, what did you want to be when you grew up?

When I was five, the concept of growing up felt like a distant myth. I was convinced I’d stay young forever, trapped in a blissful bubble of endless possibility. Life back then was pure, unadulterated fun. School? was a pain. But the real teachers were the comics stacked by my bedside, their colorful pages unlocking the mysteries of the world. The Phantom’s jungle adventures fueled my dreams. Drawn by the legendary Lee Falk, his tales of masked heroism had me flexing my scrawny arms, imagining muscles that could crush villains into submission. I’d patrol my backyard, picturing myself as the Ghost Who Walks, ready to restore justice with a single punch. Then there was Mandrake the Magiciananother Falk masterpiece. His hypnotic gestures and suave cape promised a future where I’d wield magic to outsmart chaos, bending reality with a flick of my wrist. And oh, those rare Flash Gordon comics!… When you were five, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A photo of a father and son

Describe a phase in life that was difficult to say goodbye to

A phase in life I’ll never forget is the time when my son was a toddler. It was a season of strugglesettling into a new job, with our bank balance hovering near zero, life felt relentless. My wife and I weathered those lean days, finding solace in the small, chaotic joys of our son, who was just beginning to explore the world on wobbly legs and with garbled words. Teaching him the alphabet became a daily delight. I still have old tapes of him fumbling through numbers or inventing his own language as he learned to speakprecious relics of a simpler chaos. Raising a child is exhausting, no doubt, but the thrill of watching him take his first step or toddle across the room unaided? That’s a feeling words can’t fully capture. Now, decades later, I find myself missing those days. I hold onto a quiet hope that one day,… Describe a phase in life that was difficult to say goodbye to