This weekend I managed to rid my house of 10 years of dunya accumulation. I left home in 1993 on a bicycle with a frame backpack. Less than 10 years later, I had filled a three bedroom house to the brim. Lord have mercy! Two days of garage saling and I have rid myself of well over half my possessions. In three weeks I’ll be back down to a small pickup’s worth: One computer, clothes, and a few boxes of books. Whew.
The garage sale was great fun. All kinds of folks showed up. I met more people in my neighborhood this weekend than in the last two years I’ve been here. Next time, I’ll have the garage sale first.
Almost everyone found something they wanted. I was wheelin and dealin – anybody who picked something up left with it. Really, I didn’t have to bargain much at all. I priced it to sell in the first place. The whole idea with a garage sale is liquidating your stuff. A lot of people don’t get the concept. I’ve been to garage sales where the lady is trying to charge me for her memories. “Oh those shoes – Katie loved those shoes, she wore them all the time.” Well, that’s why they’re only worth a nickel. Other folks are just way too tight. “I paid $150 for it, but I’m willing to let it go for $145.” Heh. That TV won’t do you any good in a box in your basement, you know.
Of course, some people think it’s only a good deal if they get it for less than you’re asking. I purposely marked things so cheap so that I wouldn’t have to haggle. I hate haggling. But it is an art form to some. So I had to indulge a few artists. Hey, indulging others is an art form too.
This will make 13 moves in less than 10 years, and 22 moves in 26 years. Not Bad. “Be in this life like a traveler.” Ameen.
