Peeling the Onion

Since this weekend is expected to have good weather, I am planning on participating in a garage sale at the home of someone who lives in an area better for garage saling than I. Amazingly I am still finding belongings I can part with. Who would have thought I had so much stuff after weeks, months, years of paring down and simplifying. So far anything that was decent has been donated or given, but now maybe I will make a few bucks. If not, it should be another interesting study in human behavior.

During the purging process, the outer layer of less useful and less sentimental stuff went first, but now I am down to things I have liked but see no sense in taking with me. And I find that it has been easier to say good bye to newer items than the old things that have sweet memories attached to them or represent an era in my lifetime or personal history. Our possessions can validate us and tell stories about who we are.

When I was in my twenties and lived in a busy neighborhood with other young families, we all held a huge, well organized two day garage sale. When it was over and we had collected our money - I think I made about $100 - we all squandered much of it on a restaurant at a Japanese steakhouse. Even though I later regretted selling some of my stuff, it was a fun time.

This time I am hoping for sunny skies, the ability to get up at the crack of dawn, and people who think I have cool enough stuff to help me keep peeling to the center of that onion.