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Scenes from a Garage Sale
As I age, minimalism becomes more appealing to me.
Getting rid of stuff is a physical, mental, and spiritual relief.
The best way to let go is not settling in for a Marie Kondo/Netflix binge. The best way to say goodbye to stuff is a good, old-fashioned, Midwestern garage sale.
I was raised on garage sales. My parents had one every year. I loved the process of setting up the sale. My family always used the same old tin to keep the money from the sale. Knowing how much I enjoyed those garage sales, my parents gave me the tin for good luck. It is one of the most sacred items I own.
Garage sales don’t happen on a whim. They take a lot of prep work. Cleaning the garage, finding all the stuff to sell, setting up shop, and pricing it all takes time. In the end, the hard work is reward with extra cash, a cleaner home, and endless stories from the cadre of characters who show up turn your trash into their treasures.
“I forgot my money.”
One of my first customers of the day was a man who approached me with three items: an old Monopoly game, a fishing lure, and a tennis racket. He looked distressed.