Collecting has always been a wonderful source of joy for me, from picking up shiny rocks as a child to rearranging rows and rows or glittering holographic foil now as an adult, and I can’t really think of any major sacrifices I’ve made for the sake of my collection.
I’ve sold cards I don’t care about, as most of us have, stayed up too late for auctions, and I’ve sunk countless hours into my spreadsheets and research, but that doesn’t feel sacrificial to me. Minor “sacrifices” don’t feel like I’m giving up something for something else, rather just a choice I’ve made, like what shirt to wear for the day. Picking one means I can’t pick another, but I don’t feel like I’m missing out at all, if that makes sense.
Piplup is my most major special interest and my one ultimate hobby just for the sake of it, and there’s a beautiful sort of joy I have when interacting daily with my cards and sheets and such because of the way my brain is wired. I’m incredibly grateful for that, and maybe that’s part of why I don’t feel that I’ve sacrificed for my collection.