Obsession is when you are acquiring something for the sake of acquiring it or because it is supposed to be a collectible. Whenever I start to notice that I am veering into obsession, I take a moment to remind myself why I indeed have a hobby. What is the real joy that comes from that hobby?
— Om Malik, Obsessions vs Hobbies
There was a point where I could tell my interest in keyboards was about to cross this line. I kept spending time looking over sites for what should be the next one I buy, what switches I should use, and so on.
But I have several really good keyboards right now, and for the most part, they do what I need them to in a way that I enjoy.
I think the turning point was when I talked my therapist into the idea that buying another keyboard could be a therapeutic exercise. The challenge was that I had to accept the keyboard as is, and I could not tinker or tweak it in any way. “This keyboard is enough as it is, and when I remember that, I can remember that I am enough as I am.”
There’s also an element of identity that goes into crossing over to an obsession. “I’m the person who likes X, so I must always be pursuing and accumulating X.” It’s like if Ahab lost his leg to a Funko Pop.
I still check to see if there are new keyboards that seem like they’d be fun, and there’s a few specific types of typing experience I’d like to assemble for myself. But I also know that on any given day, what I have on hand is enough, and the fact that I take pleasure in the sound, the feel, and the look of these keyboards I already have is enough.
This Builds Character 