I think I must have been around 8 years old when I got my first Lego building blocks. They were a Christmas present from an aunt. Since then, I’ve been slowly amassing a Lego collection that would make any kid envious. The rub is, no kids are allowed to play with them.

I’m not the tidiest person you ever met. I’m not known for putting things away, let alone filing them in any organized manner. But I pretty much know what I have in my Lego collection and where each specialty piece is. You can’t build a helicopter with one propeller missing, so I’ve kept pretty good track of my blocks. My own kids weren’t allowed to play with them. They had their own Legos — at least until they got bored with them and I slipped them into my collection.