First of all, my friend Zach does collect Legos, though I'm not sure he's a maniac. I do know, however, that I am!
For those who don't know about the numbering system that Lego uses, they are the numbers on the front of the box under the set's name. This number identifies the set and helps you match up missing pieces.
I went to stay at my grandparent's house for the weekend in the summer of 1978. I was nine years old. My grandfather was notorious for taking my siblings and me out for ice cream, toys, an afternoon at Playland, the local arcade. Yes, I remember when you had to go somewhere and pay money to play a video game.
After picking me up, he asked if I wanted to go to Toys R Us, which is every kid's favorite place, or at least, was. The one in Flint Michigan, where I grew up, is a furniture store now, fun for all.
After looking at the wall of Lego sets that were at least twelve foot high and the full length of an isle, originally costing $14.99 (equivalent to $60 in 2021). Sheesh, that was expensive! I know an unopened Lego #565 set recently sold on eBay for a few hundred dollars. How do I know? Well, as I said, I'm a maniac when it comes to Lego.
I took the set to my grandparent's house and spent the next hour or so building it. I loved it. I even took it all apart that night and made it again the following day.
Since then, I have always had Legos in my house. My children had them, and now my grandchildren have them.
I love most types of Legos. I never really got into the Ninjago sets. Some sets I love more than others. I will buy any Star Wars set I see.
So why am I bringing this up in an author's blog? Well, for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I write about more than just being an author. I am an author, artist, musician, engineer, leather smith, plus so much more than just writing. So I will report on the blog about a lot of things. Secondly, I find as a creative person Legos allow your creativity to be explored and expressed.
You can build whatever you feel like building.
My youngest children had a phase where they were less interested in Legos, and wanting computers and game systems. After Minecraft was released, I had to laugh. My son told me one day, "Dad, you have to see this cool new game, it's called Minecraft."
When he first told me, I thought he said "Mindcraft", which I thought sounded interesting. When he turned it on, all I could think was Legos for computers.
My grandkids love Legos, and we sit there and play for hours. I love building.
One thing about creativity is that if you are doing something, anything that sparks that part of your mind will pour over into other areas. After a Lego session, I find it much easier to be artistic, creative, write, or whatever I want.
So, I encourage you to be a maniac about something too. You don't have to love Legos as I do, but find something that can be entertaining and require thought, creative thought that will be a mental exercise for your mind!
I picked up a couple of more Lego sets today at the store. I can't wait to add them to the rest of my collection!
Happy building.
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