THE COLLECTION

By Dan Miller
June 24, 2007

I'm just back from vacation, and boy do I need a rest!

In the days ahead, I'll write a bit about my time away.... but today, I want to mention something that you'll have to hurry to see this week only.

The little collection of colorful balls pictured here is on display for 5 days at the Green Hills branch of the Nashville Public Library.
That's my 8-year old, McKensie, setting them up.

Inside the children's section of the Green Hills library there's a permanent display case in which, every week, one child (who holds a library card) is allowed to show -- sealed under glass -- "something" they collect.
McKensie put her name on the list month's ago, and -- finally -- her time came.

She chose to show part of her astounding collection of colorful bouncy balls.
There are about 50 or 60 of the balls displayed.
She has dozens more at home.

Other kids have displayed such things as marbles, shells, books, rocks, model cars, postcards, shark's teeth, etc.

McKensie's interest in collecting bouncy balls started, of all places, at her dentist's office.
Every time she went for a check up, the dentist would give her a bouncy ball.... and, sparked by that, she started her collection.
And here's the really amazing part -- she actually looks forward to visiting the dentist.
In fact, if you look closely at this collection, you'll see one of the balls has a sparkly tooth on it.

Now, I have no recollection of ever enjoying a trip to the dentist when I was a kid....
There were never any bouncy balls or prizes for us.....
I'd gladly have settled for a little shot of novocaine!
Until I was a grown man I'd never even had my mouth numbed for drilling a tooth!
So you can imagine how I admire these strange, lively little balls, and the impact they've had on my daughter.

Stop by the Green Hills library and behold the wonder.

(Sorry, after being "held over" for a full week, McKensie's display is gone -- you missed it!)

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