Wednesday, September 21, 2022

Tranquility & Calmness

Being an educator has a lot of perks.  One that often gets brought up by friends and family are the numerous breaks and holidays.  I typically use them to recharge the batteries and embrace a little tranquility and calmness.  Unfortunately there's nine week stretch between Labor Day and Veteran's Day where there is all work and no rest.

It's a good thing I have a few hobbies which help take my mind off of things after hours.  Obviously collecting cards is one of those things and we'll get to a couple of those later in this post.  Right now here's another hobby I began playing around with a few years ago:

Lego #10281

When I need it the most... Lego sets have provided me with tranquility and calmness.  This bonsai tree distracted me from the real world for about an hour and a half.  The best part about toying with Legos is they make great display pieces when you finish.  This set sits in my family room right next to my mom's photo.  The pair bring a smile to my face on a daily basis.

I built a few Lego sets over the past few months, but I chose to show this one off because it's related to a postcard I recently received in a care package from Reader X:


Not sure if bonsai trees and black bears have anything in common, but on the back of this postcard there's a really cool Forever stamp:


Here's a closer look:


The USPS released a set of Forever stamps in 2012 that feature five different bonsai treesThanks to Xavier, I'm actively trying to hunt down one of these stamp sheets.

He's actually sent a few different care packages over the past few years.  Last year he sent me several eToppsTwo of them feature Tim Lincecum:

2010 eTopps #6

2011 eTopps 206 #NNO

Timmy has been known to use another type of vegetation in his search for tranquility and calmness.  That's not really my thing... but these shiny cards sure are.

I'll just stick to collecting cards and building Lego sets.  I've also made plans to meet up with my friend's nephew to play 9 holes this afternoon.  Assuming my balls are flying reasonably straight... this will also help me find tranquility and calmness.

Happy Wednesday and sayonara!

14 comments:

The Diamond King said...

Sweet lego bonsai! I think we could all use more tranquility.

Nick Vossbrink said...

IIRC that lego set can be changed with the season right?

Jeff B - Wax Pack Wonders said...

Legos are a relaxing pursuit.

Johnnys Trading Spot said...

I hope your golf was peaceful, and NOT the opposite which sometimes happens in golf.

Grant said...

That tobacco-esque Lincecum is a beaut!

gregory said...

As Frank Costanza might say: "Serenity now!"

John Sharp said...

Lego trees and a card of a Bear, not something you think you'll see together.

Good Job!👍

Xavier Higgins said...

The Freak was a Force of Nature 🐻🌲
The Black Bear Post Card is something that has shuffled through my belongings since sometime before 2012 when I purchased those Bonsai Stamps. The Black Bear is A Californian Icon with the Bonsai symbolic of your culture making The Postcard a Natural Box Topper for Your most recent custom hobby Box.
Another parcel is in the works with an ETA of approximately Halloween. The cards and Comics you sent are well received with Dare Devil Graphic Novels, Rising Stars & Zito back Variation being the highlights, though I appreciate your generous offering as a whole. I'm hoping to get The Seinfeld Lego Set for Christmas otherwise I'm a novice as far as Lego sets are concerned. Also glad you caught that Lincecum eTopps Tobacco mini as I thought there was a possibility you might have mistaken the box it was in as packaging.

The Lost Collector said...

Lego Bonsai?! Man, that company thinks of everything.

First time I ever heard of Bonsai Trees was from Saved by the Bell, where Mr Belding bought one for his wife.

The Snorting Bull said...

That Lego set is awesome. I don't think I have ever seen one like that. My parents moved closer to me last year, they still have all my old Legos from the 1980s. I need to go over there and build myself some castles.

Matt said...

My eyes went immediately to the bonsai tree, and I was genuinely surprised reading it was a Lego set. It looked real enough from that quick glance - it's fantastic!

RR said...

Lego's I love using and I remember these back in my childhood days and I have bought some recently. Great job with the bonsai tree.

Jon said...

Lego's definitely aren't the same as they were when I was a kid. I might actually might find myself buying some were they to start making other plants/trees.

SumoMenkoMan said...

Wow, that Lego Bansai is so cool!!