So after many weeks of decluttering we found ourselves under three tents lining our driveway and watching these huge black clouds rolling in! It just figured that the one day we decide to have a garage sale is the first day in weeks we received rain! In the end though we got hit with a bit, but no where near as much as the areas surrounding us. Divine intervention perhaps?!?
We were up at 5:30 and out there by 6:15, ready to take on the tasks at hand. Beginning with the tents and tables.Then we moved on. Having tons to get into the driveway, my hubby was kind enough to do the heavy-lifting, I began setting it all out as he brought it. I can't even begin to explain how much stuff there was! I ran out of room! People began to arrive at 7:15 at least and we weren't due to open until 8, but if I have learned anything in years of garage sales, there will always be the people trying to get there first, even if it's rude.....
Speaking of rude, I have a couple stories, we had just gotten the garage open, and were setting up the second tent when a man pulls up at 6:20ish, asking if he is too early....we were like, "Ummmm, yeah! We don't even have anything out yet!!!!" Insanity! And I think what got me most,was he was rather rude about it. The second story, was when we were in full swing, trying to get the last couple things out. I still had the garage open. An older man comes up and starts shaking his head. Asks me how we have so much stuff, and I replied, "Well...", he cut me off saying it was because my husband makes lots of money and I just spend it...I promptly told him, "No, actually it began when our daughter got sick and my shopping addiction begun as I was coping with having a kid with cancer!" Yeah, that made him think twice and he promptly left. People, including myself really need to not judge and point fingers and fun at things in other's lives that they don't understand.
But, after that gentleman left we had an amazing day! In the end we had sold two thirds of what we had brought out into that driveway and walked away with a nice chunk of change to slap down on our credit card! The remainder made it's way over to one of our local thrift shop charities and it was done.
I felt so proud. So free. When I walked into the house following the chaos I looked at the bare spaces where the piles had been. I didn't miss the stuff in the least. And I was thrilled that the things I'd sold would be used by someone else.
I am, honestly, struggling a tad with the space upstairs in our living dining space. The "white space" as Allie Casazza calls it. But it's just a matter of giving it time to become the norm and I keep telling myself that the blank spots are okay. And that what is left is either needed or loved. It's all a process and I know I am far from where I desire to be as a household. The garage will be my next BIG tackle. But that is going to have to wait until after the kids are in school. Perhaps October. I'll keep you posted!