There are two collectors.
The first collector wants to own every painting he likes. If he likes one even a little, he can’t help wanting to buy it. He always wishes he had more money and a bigger house, so he could collect more.
Whenever a painting catches his eye, he imagines hanging it at home and stopping to look at it every day as he walks past. Just thinking about it makes him happy. Until he buys it, he can’t sit still.
Once he actually buys it, the happiness doesn’t last as long as he imagined. He gets used to it quickly.
Now, as he walks past each day, he no longer stops.
Then he starts looking for the next painting.
The walls at home filled up long ago, so he needs new walls. The new walls fill up too. Whatever doesn’t fit goes into storage. Some paintings never make it onto a wall.
The second collector likes paintings too. But he knows there will always be more paintings worth collecting. Each one he adds leaves a little less time for each of the others.
So no matter how much money he has, or how big his house is, he hangs only one painting on his wall at a time. Each painting stays up for a long time before he moves on to the next.
As he walks past each day, he stops to look at it. Each time, he notices something he hadn’t noticed before.
Sometimes he thinks of a painting he didn’t buy, and feels a little regret.
He imagines hanging it at home and stopping to look at it every day as he walks past.
Just like he does now.
