Collard Wanderings

Blowout Sale!!

It’s time for the big garage sale on Friday and Saturday. Right now we’re in the process of going through everything we own, trying to put things in one of three categories:

• Sell this week (by far the largest percentage of stuff)
• Try to store somewhere while we’re in Croatia (by necessity a small amount)
• Take with us to Croatia (an even smaller amount!)

This is an interesting process, and it’s not all that easy. There are so many decisions to be made. Each decision has to take into account our feelings of sentimentality (I love this wedding gift!), and practical ruthlessness (Let’s just get rid of that so Greg doesn’t have to move it again!). Meanwhile, the key to preparing for a big garage sale is to not let yourself get bogged down – just slap a somewhat arbitrary price tag on the item and move on to the next one.

This process can be pretty liberating. While we’re thankful for our possessions, it’s liberating to let go of some of the “stuff” in our life. At the same time, it really is just one of our goodbyes we’ll have to make in the near future. It’s a goodbye to our household and life here for now. You could pray that we'll make decisions with wisdom, and that we'll have joy in the experience.

And, if you happen to be in the area, come by on Friday or Saturday for some great deals!

PS: For a much better handling of this topic, I have to refer to my friend Todd. One year ago his family was going through the same process before moving overseas, and we got to join their experience when we added some things to their sale. Recently, he showed me a chapter he had written on the experience for a yet to be published book. It’s funny and insightful, and I wouldn’t try to match the work of a real writer. If he makes it available someday, I’d recommend it!

posted by Greg @ 11:14 AM