Relief efforts :)

Vintage A House Blessing by Arthur Guiterman

This year, I held a rummage sale at my church to raise funds for Syria relief. Money, raw paper money, is what people in crisis situations most need, because it allows them to obtain exactly what they need.

Unfortunately, when tragedy comes (war or tornadoes or tsunamis), people want to feel like they can do something. They want to help. They long to help. So they send things. They send clothing, and devotional books, and toilet paper. And this stuff cannot possibly all be used. It usually creates new problems for the people in need, because now they have all of this extra stuff to figure out how to store.

Vintage Desiderata on wood

We often see other people's tragedies as we would see our own, and we block out all of the unknowns (because they're unknown - duh). We forget that there's a mess to clean up, that there are lots of people and organizations nearby that are set up to help in these situations. If your neighbor lost their home, there would be other neighbors to help. People are helpers. People like to help.

So take this time to figure out how to make cash out of the things you want to send. Maybe you sell them on eBay. Maybe you have a garage/rummage/yard sale. Maybe you need to do that to get the $5 or $10 to send to the Red Cross or Mennonite Disaster Service. Maybe cash just isn't obtainable, so you go donate blood today (hey, you get a cookie, and juice!). Maybe take an extra minute to create space in your life to help more the rest of the year, when there isn't a huge crisis to focus on. Find a place to volunteer once a week. Find a kid who needs some unconditionally positive adult attention. Find a way to create a world where love overwhelms people 365 days of the year, not just one.

Rummage Sale Planning - Part 3

Very unique vintage square dance skirt - just sold :)

When I was in college, I was really interested in event planning as a career. So I got into large-scale athletic events, events that get planned all year long, take a lot of human power and time, and are fun to participate in. I ended up on my knees one year in San Francisco, taking ankle monitors off of hundreds of open-water swimmers as they came out of the water, freezing and exhilarated. That was a good hair day, the last one I can remember clearly. I think it was the salty sea air.

Rummage sale planning is very different. There isn't a lot of "planning" that I'm able to do on my own. I have the idea. I execute the idea. People come alongside me to help, and somehow it happens. If I were more organized, I imagine the sale would be more organized. I don't know how to make that happen. I'm sure that other people do. For the time being, people will bring things to church this week, I will spend Thursday and Friday organizing the donations, and several hours on Saturday trying to sell it all. That may not be enough for some people, but it's enough for me.

Last night, while running an errand for a friend, I happened to pass by one of my favorite burrito places. The sign was down and the place was empty. I haven't eaten there in months. I guess unbeknownst to me, I'd been keeping them in business ;)

Rummage Sale Planning - Part 2

This is possibly the most beautiful photograph I have ever taken.

So planning events is not something I am awesome at, not because I don't have experience. I have loads of experience. It's just the energy, and the neurotic stress I typically take upon myself. Stress makes me lose sleep at night, and then crash after the event for days, wishing I'd been more relaxed.

Now I have the opportunity to do that, to relax more, and stress less, to truly and fully adopt the persona I've been faking for so long: that I truly believe that everything will be okay, turn out well, etc. This involves not constantly thinking about said event, letting other people imagine things they would like to contribute, and not obsessing over the details. Because in the end, the purpose is to raise money, and that will happen. We will also add another life cycle to a piece of clothing or furniture.

Last but not least, we will raise awareness of a part of the world that has been largely forgotten (I mean, if we're not paying attention to our own wars, it makes sense that we wouldn't pay much attention to those we're only loosely affiliated with). So on that note, you can read here about what the sale will be supporting.

Love to all :)

Rummage sale planning - Part 1

Your ultimate dream: parent-child matching costumes.

I wish I had a delivery boy who brought me sandwiches from Whole Foods on weekends, or any evening really. I was at Whole Foods last night getting groceries, and wishing that I was home in a prone position. Sometimes I think people need to get married so that they split up these kinds of things. I swear I talk to so many women whose husbands cook and clean, and I do not know how this all goes down. It's a mystery to me. I tend to be more traditional, hands in hot soapy water washing dishes, making broccoli pesto for dinner, etc. There are just certain things I don't like to do, and sometimes these things keep me from doing things I would enjoy doing.

[Insert rummage sale here]. So I am currently organizing a rummage sale, to be held at my church, to raise money for Syrian refugees. I found myself getting too caught up in the minutiae of my own life, took a step back, and realized that I needed to be more productive, and generally whine less.

I did the same thing a couple years ago, but it stressed me out so much that I swore I'd never do it again. Now I'm just trying to stay chill, let things happen, and not agonize over the details. I don't know if it's working. I'll let you know.

Chchchch...changes

Yesterday was an amazingly long day, but I think I helped some people, so it was absolutely worth it. Unfortunately, my schedule this semester is feeling pretty smushed, crunched, limited, etc. I'm starting to think that I am going to shift my thrifting a bit. I don't think I have the energy anymore to go every day. I'm thinking more about a weekend gig with focus on estate sales. I will try it out this weekend and report back to you with how it went. I think I avoided it last semester because I wanted the weekend to rest, but I think I can arrange it so that I still get rest and get sufficient shopping time.

Goin' on a bender

I've been on a bit of a candle bender lately. It's so nice to have them burning at night, and my day job is so draining that I need little extra bits of warmth and light at the end of the day to replenish. So I've been thrifting used candles, but have come to a bit of a problem. They burn to a certain spot, and then they're done. So I'm putting up this video to show people how to renew and reuse old candles that they either already have at home, or find whilst thrifting.

You can find plenty more instructions online, so I won't bore you with the details. I was able to find a lot of wick options. It seems like a fun thing to do with kids maybe. Just wrap 'em up in sweats and tape potholders to their hands, and you could probably leave them in the kitchen unattended.

A thousand deaths for thrift

I have avoided the Salvation Army and Goodwill for at least a year. Maybe it was the bright lights, the uniformed employees, or the whiteness of the walls. I don't know what it was, but it's over. I am having lots of good times at Goodwill. Salvation Army, not so much, which is just as well; my favorite employee is gone and the place just isn't the same without her twenty piercings and ridiculously awesome attitude (I really did adore her). Like many of the employees (or all? I'm not sure), she was probably going through the Salvation Army rehab program, and rehab eventually ends. Good or bad, it ends.

Every one has their time in the sun, and Salvation Army's will return eventually. Even my favorite place in town has lost its zing, and I hardly go there these days. One just has to keep up with the times.

There's a metaphysical component to the thrift world. It's very systemic. There are trends in donations, and trends in buying patterns. There are pricing patterns (we're in a high one right now) and disgruntled shopper patterns (I just made that last one up). But just like life, things come and go, and we just have to ride the wave or we'll get swept under the current, I suppose. I don't think the thrift current is very strong though, so don't fear for your life or anything.

I desperately want to run a thrift store, or manage rummage and estate sales. I don't want to be a grown up and do my real job. Is there even such a thing? If we all did exactly what we wanted, would the world implode? Fall off its axis? Spiral into the sun? I need to write a letter to Sugar concerning this issue; she will have the answer.