So overall, the yard sale went swimmingly! But oy…

 

yard_sale

Every time I do one of these sales I say “never again.” It’s a LOT of work to gather, sort, stage, and price every item. Then the long days of the sale itself, and the associated work to gather up and deliver the remaining items to charity. I think I made roughly $3.12/hour for the time invested over the 3 weeks.

There’s also a slight emotional toll. Once again I was watching people haggle over the price of something that I – at least at some point – had desired. Or even worse than haggling, barely a glance at our treasured possessions.

It’s kind of bewildering to realize that 100 people came through the door, but not one of them wanted my beautiful geode bookends. Or the many shoes I had worn to work and received so many compliments on. Or the books that guided us in so many home projects, or just filled my rainy days (like today) with hours of enchantment.

A lot of that “diminished” feeling was washed away by folks like Jeff, the young man who cycled up on day one, cruising the neighborhood sales on his day off work. He was looking for anything he could use to go hiking and camping with his girlfriend in Arizona. Jeff was pretty giddy with the amount of stuff he pedaled away with – bags, hiking boots, canteens, carabiners, guidebook and so on. His glee was so genuine that it made me feel really good about being able to help him out.

The other emotional toll was in dealing with so. many. people! An introvert’s nightmare, I tell you. Not just meeting people, but have them IN MY HOUSE and looking at MY STUFF was disconcerting.

I couldn’t have done it without the aid of my good friend Cindy and my dad Keith. They worked the sale both days and were invaluable in updating displays, assisting guests, and keeping me going. I also am grateful that we were able to borrow tables (again) from Jay and Eric. And thanks to Jen, too, who drove quite a way to help but was called away by a family emergency.

There are quite a few remnants from the sale. A few things we will hold onto for next month’s “Man Sale,” where Shawn will attempt to part with his many tools. Others are being given to friends and local charities.

One more barrier removed from hitting the road. One more step toward embarking on this incredible journey. *fist pump* Yes!