Given Another Chance

Believe it or not, this is NOT a picture of my late lamented model horse collection, but it looks pretty close. The photo here is just part of FAS Sue's collection. (Sue Sudekum is one of the world's prominant model horse collectors and has a great sense of humor). In the mid 1990's, I stopped counting at how many model horses I had because I was pushing 1,000, with well over 500 Breyers (my favorite brand of model horses).

Love Bites

When I fell in love with a homeless man in England, I sold a couple hundred of the collection and then abandoned the rest. (Well, I took five with me, but two had to be traded for food money and the other three died in the fire). My Mom took in two Breyers and three strange but cute toy horses, knowing that someday I would be back. I heard my ex-boyfriend got a hold of them and sold them, buying a truck and a down payment on a house with the money.

I shoulda stuck with the model horses. They were far more loyal than any boyfriend. I did come back to Mom, with pretty much nothing but the clothes on my back, my passport and my dog Pony. Some of those models I had since I was 5 years old. I still think of them as being alive. I assume they'd be ticked off at me for abandoning them.

I Thought Wrong

Imaginary friends, spirits, Breyers, whatever -- they never really die. They just migrate from object to object. This happens with many things like books, record albums and heirlooms. If they are meant to come back to you, they find a way.

I can't go crazy trying to replace all of my favorite model horses, because I don't have the money or the storage space. That and I do have a business to run. I came back to America in September of 2005 and only have been able to afford to replace five models. (Just my luck -- they cost $5 in 1980 and now cost around $50 today). Number six is currently on the way to me this week.

But it feels like they've forgiven me, since I know have a little spending money, so that's all I care about. I've been given another chance. I don't get a second chance at many things at life, so I'll take any chance I can get.