I have an admission to make. It is slightly embarrassing, this thing. I had an inkling that something lay festering beneath the surface. Year upon year of building desire should have been a clue. Until last weekend, I had no idea it had become as prolific as recent evidence has shown it to be. I have an obsession – nothing that should hold legal ramifications or moral apprehension, but an obsession nonetheless.
It started innocently enough, as most obsessions do. A look… a secret longing… a caress that eventually leads to some form of grip and holding. A yearning – it forces me to spend hard-earned money to acquire the object of my desire. Hot, steamy, satisfying! I have to have them. I am not tied to one body style, I love all shapes and sizes. I love them for what is inside and the shallow portion of me loves them for their outward appearance as well.
Travel mugs. I love them nearly as much as the coffee they contain. I confess that I can’t have just one. I need many. My lovely wife discovered this in cleaning out the pantry. My collection seems to have grown wildly over the years. They were stuffed in every nook and cranny of the little closet, taking up too much room.
Something had to give, so she said.
But what do I do? Do I let go of some? Donate or dispose? Is there a place to recycle crazy obsessions? Does anyone else have a stupid collection like this or is it just me? I would be lying if I said they all served a purpose. Actually, some have never been used – a few just looked appealing in the store but were either impractical or not functionally optimal.
For instance, why would any company make a travel mug that doesn’t fit in a standard size cup holder? It’s the cruelest of jokes because the consumer brings it home, fills it lovingly with the finest java only to have it spill all over the floorboard of the car when rounding the corner a block from home.
What do you do with the one so poorly designed that my nose gets in the way of taking a full drink? I’m no Cyrano De de Bergerac, either. Normal nose – yet after the third sip, I have to crane my neck so far back just to get a drink that I am no longer able to see the road. I’m too old for that kind of exercise.
Note the big tankard in back left. Yes, I Like Big Mugs and I Cannot Lie. But seriously, it holds so much coffee that it is cold by the time you get halfway through.
LW said some of them had to go. I think she was jealous of my obsession – she didn’t like the thought of me holding so many other things in high regard. I begged for a little corner of the pantry to hold my collection, but she pointed to the Mickey Mouse waffle iron, popcorn machine, coffee grinder, and a couple of other little-used appliances I have bought on a whim that take up valuable storage space.
And so, I reluctantly pared down my coffee mug collection. I threw out a couple and donated the others in the hopes that someone else would appreciate them.
The irony of this whole situation is that I have an extremely short commute.
A Generous Helping 
This is great! My husband seems to be the same way with regular coffee mugs. Someday I might need to follow your wife’s example.
Oh, it’s a cruel pill to give him… Throwing away something he loves best.
i have a wonderful Starbucks mug given to me by a sweet friend. Everytime I use it, the coffee dribbles down my chin. I keep it for the memory. Why do they make mugs that aren’t functional?
I don’t know. You can’t trust things by the package they come in!
You are not alone. I took a bag full of them to goodwill today. The hubs apparently has the same problem. He has no idea, though, that I got rid of them. HA! :0
Travel mugs?? Wow, I guess we should start TMA – travel mugs anonymous.
well, i suppose you could have worse vices and i keep mine for sentimental reasons. until they no longer function. your last line was the best )
Thanks. 5 miles is only a few swigs.
You should see my mug collection! They could fill one entire cabinet! Hugs to you and the family
My obsession isn’t so easily concealed. Vintage typewriters. The “vintage” part lends it an air of importance and necessity and value, don’t you think? They are very hard to slip unnoticed into the house though. And almost impossible to use without drawing a LOT of attention. They do help to distract the family from my Most High and Great Obsession…books.
That can make for a nice display, unlike sullied mugs. But they are much bigger. I guess every collection has its pros and cons.
Mark, You Managed To Make Me Giggle Out Loud, As I Choked On My Gourmet Coffee I Am Drinking Out Of One Of My WAY TOO MANY Travel Coffee Mugs!! LOL 🙂 I Must Say That I Agree With You….Why Would Any Company Make A Travel Coffee Mug That Doesn’t Fit In The Standard Cup Holder Of A Car?? I Even Have One Made For The Honda Company…That I Got When I Bought A New Honda Many Yrs Ago…It Does Not Fit In My Cup Holder In My Honda Civic!! LOL 🙂 But Like You, I Hang Onto Too Many Things For Sentimental Reasons!! 🙂 I Hope You Are Keeping The Coffee Mug That Says Smiley Kiley On It!! 🙂
Thinking Of You And Your Beautiful Wife And Family Often, And Saying Many Prayers. I Often Go To My You Tube Subscriptions And Watch All The Videos Of Kiley..I Am So Partial To “It’s All About That Bald”, And The One Where Kiley Was Interviewed By Truth 365 Where She Talked About Cancer Should Die. Anyway….I Hope You And Your Family Are Doing Well, And Looking Forward To Spring 🙂
I just found the blog tonight. I followed a bit on cb. I’m so sorry Kiley passed. Know that your whole family is in my prayers. My favorite travel mug was one called The Licker Store. They sold ice cream in the town I went to school in. I’m a Disney girl too(did 2 college programs at WDW 97/00. ) How did you get started collecting Mickey stuff? I must admit that I have boxes unopened that have Disney characters on them. I bought them way back in high school but never used them. Sending love!!
Thanks for checking it out. We are all Disney nuts!