I went to tag sales today. A lot of them. It's my summer thing on Saturdays (and Sundays too, if they'll have me). It's the thrill of the chase, of finding something for nothing, of giving new life to something that has outlived its purpose with its original owners.
So, today, off I went. There were barely used binders for a dollar (never too early for back to school, right?) There were character glasses to add to our collection (who says meals shouldn't be fun?) There were books (always books, though our bookcases are already overflowing). And then there was jewelry. In this case, parts of jewelry. I thought this would be interesting. For just quarters, we could buy jewelry parts and make all sorts of interesting things.
Turns out some of the parts weren't just a quarter. When we asked, we were met with a price not huge, but above our usual tag sale budget. We were also met with an explanation of how the seller found the pieces for and made each item. By the time she was done, perhaps I should have felt inspired. Instead, I felt overwhelmed, and just a little bit stalker-ish. Clearly, either she thought the history was a selling point (perhaps sometimes history is), or she was reluctant to part with the items and was reminiscing about their origin. Either way, her connections to the items made me walk away. They might be nice, but it was okay not to have them come home with me. Anyhow, they would certainly find a home with someone else who appreciated the story.
I guess we kind of recycle on our own terms. We make choices about which containers we're willing to rinse for the recycle bin, and which items (and at what price) we are willing to purchase used. Some things fit in to "our story," while others will just have to wait for someone else's.
There'll be more tag sale shopping next week. Opportunities for cheap reads, a quirky kitchen item or two, and another chapter in "our story."
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