Some humans might look at peoples old clothes, books, coffee mugs, bras, half burned down candles and silverware on a dusty shelf and think "wow, thats fucking gross." Especially now that the fear of covid living in the depths of someones old sweater is so real it sends chills down my spine. The problem is ..I'm obsessed with strangers trash covered in covid 19. The reuse and recycle aspect comes as an added bonus, next to the feeling of florescent lights burning down on my skin like August sun, the heat, the hunt. The treasure hunt. Walking in and having no idea what I might find. That paired with the millionaire mindset makes a perfect storm for mindless bliss. Millionaire mindset is being in the thrift store and knowing I can afford anything in the joint. I am aware that a millionaire would never actually shop at a thrift store. I look at my daughter and say "Delilah pick anything you want in here dude, we're ballin."
While I immediately head for aisles that are filled with statues with no purpose and ceramic squirrels. That's my favorite aisle. Cue the Macklemore song and me filling my cart with items like these:
When I find something I think is cool its like I am proving to this black hearted world that cool stuff still exists. So there, kiss my ass humanity. This cheap thrill, this raggedy treasure hunt fills me up. Not the buying part. The proving part. The quest. The anticipation of maybe, just maybe, finding something special keeps my adrenaline going as I hear the same matchbox 20 song over and over. We all know material things don't change things, and they sure as hell don't fix things, but sometimes they make you a little lighter. During a time when feeling lighter is a hard feeling to find, that search may be somewhere completely different for you, the geologically location may vary but the search itself is the same. JOY. The thrift store is where I dig. Digging for whatever it is that fills me up. A feeling, a teapot, an activity, a phone call. Whatever it may be, the digging is just as important as what it is you are filling the hole with, and sometimes we all need a moment to feel like a baller.