John and Linda

John and Linda Miller have been close friends of my family for years. It's always a treat to visit with them over tea at their home in Timber Creek Canyon. Tea time at the Millers' usually means hours of conversation over freshly brewed teas brought back from other continents and homemade breads fresh out of the oven. It entails actual tea cups on matching saucers with little silver spoons, a bowl of sugar cubes, and a small pitcher of fresh creamer. We talk about everything, from recent travels to hopes for upcoming adventures, from my frustrations as a new teacher to Linda's advice as an experienced paraprofessional. We talk about our families and friends and plants and art. The list goes on and on. Last night we came to the topic of personal collections. Linda has many, many collections--eyeglasses, nutcrackers, tea sets--you name it. So I decided to ask Johnie about his collections, and the conversation went something along the lines of this:

Megan: Johnie, do you have any collections like Linda?

Johnie: No, not really.

Linda: Now, Johnie, that's not true. What about your coin collection?

Johnie: That's more of an investment.

Linda: What about all your blue ties? You have so many of those blue ties.

Johnie: But not as many as you do earrings and bracelets.

Linda: Well, how many power tools do you have out there in the shop? Including Jack's. Jack's tools count.

Johnie: Two. Or three... Yes, only three. Those aren't a collection. Those are... Well, they're power tools!

This conversation last night amused me to no end. It reminds me that Brent and I will soon be sharing a 650 square foot apartment, and how we will soon be combining our possessions into our closet and dresser. It reminds me how different our perceptions are about the things that we own, what we each think is useful or valuable and should be kept, and what things what we should downsize and donate to Goodwill. I just hope that when we have shared as many years as John and Linda, we will still tease each other and laugh together like they do, over the serious things and the silly things, no matter how alike or how different we are.