Maybe I shouldn’t have put all those slugs in the cooking pot. But hey, I was a little kid and really wanted to collect slugs. I went around my backyard, weaving through the bushes and scanning walls for new recruits. The trees in my yard became as big and as dense as a rainforest and I became a brave explorer collecting new species.

My habit of collecting is not limited to just gastropods. I used to walk slowly on my way home from elementary school just in case I found a stray screw or penny on the sidewalk. If I did, I’d happily pocket it and put it in my Beauty and the Beast treasure box I kept hidden in my dresser. When my family and I went to souvenir shops during road trips, I used to head straight to the corner where they sold shiny rocks and gems to add to my already overflowing collection. There were so many types to choose from, the mini-hoarder in me felt giddy just thinking about the (seemingly) infinite rock options. It blew my mind that there was something as magical as a shiny gemstone, and there were not only one, but hundreds of them. Although it sounds ridiculous, discovering more things to add to my collections made me feel so alive!
Even now, my day will instantly be made if I find a penny on the ground, no matter how rusty or nasty it is. I look for snowglobes or keychains to add to my pile at home while traveling. These days, I’ve been clipping off flowers from plants around my house and drying them in my room. So, whenever I see a nice plant, I’m thinking of how good it would look dead and hanging upside down on my bedroom wall. It’s exciting, really. Having this naive sense of wonder about things makes my days more worthwhile.

With this slightly delusional mindset, the whole world is your playground! It’s like when we were younger and discovering everything around us for the first time. I used to love going grocery shopping with my mom when I was a toddler. The tall shelves looked like buildings and the shopping cart I sat on was like my own personal carriage. Sure, they were mundane things in real life. But what’s the fun in thinking like that? There’s no need to be absolutely serious all the time. We can all use some magic in our daily lives by seeing things in a fresh, invigorating way. So get in touch with your inner toddler and explore your yard, scavenger hunt on the sidewalk, and put all the slugs in the pot. There are treasures in every nook and cranny. All you have to do is see past the ordinary to find the fantastical.