And then there’s the friend who collects thoughts. She is a delightful young woman who usually sits quietly in a group. She says her thoughts are sometimes triggered by conversations of friends—she puts snippets in her mind and thinks about them later. This helps her to form her own opinions, or simply gives her pleasure. Sometimes her thoughts are sparked by words in print. She often compares her thoughts from one medium or occasion to another. And since she spends a fair of amount of time alone, she gets much pleasure by contemplating her thoughts.

What is it about these collections that give us such satisfaction? We dote on them, arrange and rearrange them, and constantly want to add to them. It doesn’t matter if they have significant or little monetary value. They may be on display for the public in a museum, on our walls and desks or in our yards. Or they may be tucked away in drawers or safety deposit boxes. They are always in our minds as special treasures, whether they’re in view or not. Common to all of us who collect is that we suffer from a strange fit of passion that gives us comfort.

Our longing to add to our collections may be provoked by many things. The strongest may be nostalgia. Toy collectors often speak of having similar toys as children. A new toy found at a flea market or auction brings that happy period to life again.

Wayne MacKay is known for many things—he’s a respected law professor at Dalhousie University, he sits as a member of several national and international boards, he is consulted frequently as an expert in constitutional law, and he is a former president of Mount Allison University. He grew up in rural Nova Scotia, Mount Thom to be exact, and as we in northern New Brunswick would say, is “a local boy who done good.”