Having spent the past few weeks off and on at a place I'd rather avoid — hospitals — it dawned on me more than ever of the healing power of toys. And while, I was in the adult areas of the hospitals, the power of toys remained the same, from family to friends to the nursing staff. (The nursing staff loves cookies, too, but that's for another blog.)

In this particular instance, the toys were stuffed animals and a battery-operated plush item featuring monkeys who sang about "going home." These weren't anything special, but they brought a smile to everyone who witnessed them, including the patient who wasn't exactly a enamored by toys.

And I think this is how it all begins — collecting toys, that is. As children, we look for something to comfort us and we gradually move on to other toys that are found near these creature comforts. And it is those memories that drive us to collect our childhood toys as adults. While I don't think this patient is going to run out and try to find her toys from the 1940s and '50s (though I'd love to help!), it did bring to the forefront about how great the toy collecting hobby is and what a pleasure it is to "work" in this field.

This particular blog isn't full of any particular news item or earth-shattering auction results — just something that's been on the brain for the past few weeks.