Whilst thrifting...

What I saw today whilst thrifting:

1. Two children, in two separate Costco-size shopping carts, abandoned at the back of a large thrift store, parked underneath large shelves, while the adults completely ignored them. One was a baby. The baby was staring at the plywood shelf above him. The two-year-old girl was gnawing on the shopping cart. I wanted to scream at the mother, but I flash-forwarded in my mind to what that would look like, and I walked away.

2. A woman screaming into a cell phone, in between racks of women's clothing, "No! The government will pay! No! You tell her! The government will pay!" I rolled through the options in my mind for what the government was supposed to be paying for, and I lost a good fifteen minutes.

3. A fifty-year-old contractor-looking character, flirting with the busy volunteer behind the register, asking incessantly how old things were, if they were valuable, where they came from, etc. I wanted to say, "Dude! Can't you see she's busy and there are five people in line?!" Dude. She was like eighty years old, and clearly not interested. It was obvious.

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 ;)

Thrift Share Monday :)

Vintage health, fitness, and nutrition book for teens

I went out of town today, forty-five minutes in fact, and even though I went to a town far from home, I saw thrift store employees I know. How funny is that? They were of course surprised to see me as well, and we shared some awkward moments.

A little while later, I traveled downtown to the nicer "boutiquey" thrift store, which is always very clean and high priced. I thought I might find some work clothes. They were having a "25% off" sale on some items, and a woman came to the counter to ask the volunteers how much she would pay for an item that was $10. It took them five minutes, they couldn't figure it out, and gave up. I kid you not. I ended up explaining it to them, and they replied, "Oh, math was my worst subject." I wanted to claw my own eyes out.

Vintage book for kids about the human body - fun times :)

I ended up bringing six items into the dressing room, four tops and two dresses. Everything looked huge and made me look like a weird angular mannequin. The last thing I tried on was a vintage wool Pendleton shift. It made me look like a bad Mad Men knock-off. I know that everyone feels this way sometimes, but I'm having a hard time with my body right now, and feeling freakish.

Linking up with Apron Thrift Girl :)

Recycle yourself!

I love giving blood. I think that if there was one perfect activity to do on a Saturday morning, it would be giving blood. Giving blood is like the most beautiful thing. It's a gift that you can give over and over again, and can save lives. What's the downside? It is, at it's essence, a way that we can truly connect with other people, to give blood from my body to your body? That's intimate. I don't exchange bodily fluids with anyone, so blood was my outlet. Key word: was.

I used to give blood on schedule, every eight weeks or twelve weeks, or whatever the length of time is that they require you to wait. I would happily talk to the volunteer at the cookie table as we watched the news, or I read a magazine. I think I usually drank juice and stayed away from the cookies, but seriously, now, I'd dig some of those trans-fat-filled cookies anytime. Yum. It's especially awesome to learn about how that person came to be a volunteer at the blood bank, or what they do with the rest of their time. It's strange how fascinated I am by the whole process, but I just am, no particular reason. No one has ever given me blood, if that's what you're thinking.

Three years ago, I gave it up. I had to call someone to get a ride home because I couldn't drive myself. I was too dizzy, and had to lie with my feet up, or my head up, or something up, in order to make the phlebotomists happy. It was a sad day. I'd known that it was coming; I knew I had more trouble than most people. I knew that I did it out of some deep unspoken need, rather than a real ability. So giving it up was really sad. I still miss it.

I still get to give blood every three months, but that blood just goes to a lab for testing, then probably gets dumped as medical waste. It doesn't save lives. It just saves my life, I suppose. I wish saving my own life thrilled me the way saving someone else's did. Saving my own life just feels like the right thing to do. It doesn't make me beam with joy or anything. It just gets me to another day. Oh joy.