When I was no younger than five years old, I had the smallest scratch on my finger. This was a 'boo-boo' like no other in my mind, and this called for a band-aid.
My mom searched through the glove compartment of her car for a box of bandages. Snoopy bandages. When she placed the Snoopy band-aid over my scratch, it all changed from there. I stared down at the Snoopy pattern, and the Snoopy pattern stared back at me.
In the Charles Schulz's "Peanuts" comics, Snoopy is a humorous beagle who is full of confidence, even when the audience is aware that his ideas aren't always the greatest. I found this to be the cutest thing when I was little, and it was just my cup of tea.
When I reached my teenage years, I had come to the conclusion that I battled with anxiety for longer than I could ever date back in my mind, and I realized that I had a depression, which branched off of my anxiety.
Now, you are probably wondering, "What does any of that have to do with Snoopy?"
It doesn't, but it does. To me, Snoopy is just about the most adorable thing on Earth. I identify Snoopy as a character which keeps me calm when I am in my worst state.
Now, this may sound like an episode of "My Strange Addiction," but my Snoopy collection is pretty weak in my opinion. I have Snoopy slippers on my feet at the moment, a beaded Snoopy good-luck bracelet which I wear every day, Snoopy earrings, Snoopy stuffed animals and the wallpaper and lock screen on my phone are both Snoopy.
When I surround myself with all things Snoopy-related, I feel entirely calm. I forget about all of the continuous pressure that I put on myself, and I become safe.
I think that it is important for everyone to have something really small and dorky to collect. We're constantly losing sleep over our jobs and over each other, but we forget why we make all of these efforts:
For the enjoyment and experience. When we gaze upon our collections, we see something with such a small meaning to us but in such a massive quantity, and we feel satisfied.
So while my Snoopy collection may seem a bit childlike, it provides a positivity that I can physically glance at.
