I am currently at the lake with my partner at his family’s cabin. A well needed holiday has proven so far to be quite wonderful. The weather is warm, but not too hot, the breeze off of the lake cools things down when it is a little warmer out there, the squirrels are keeping our dog entertained for hours on end (she has an absolute obsession with them and will sit for hours under a tree looking up at the cheeky little critters), and the fire pit in the evening offers a warm gathering place. So far even the mosquitoes are not too bad. The gnats are another story. They are swarming everywhere it seems.
Last year, while out for a walk with the dog, I noticed a few doors down from our cabin that someone had placed a bathroom cabinet out on their front yard with a “Free” sign on it. Now, we were going to be remodeling our basement bathroom, and this white cabinet looked like it would fit the decor perfectly. So we brought it home. This spring we finished the remodeling and hung the cabinet. It is absolutely perfect.
This morning I was once again taking the dog for her walk when another of the cabin owners had a bunch of stuff on the street with a “Free” sign. Right there was this floor lamp, with a brass base and frame (not as much into the brass as I am into the style of it), with a glass top circular table surface mounted around the middle of it. It sort of looks like a round patio table with a lamp instead of an umbrella through the middle of the table. I immediately texted back to the cabin to see if it was something that he would be ok with me snapping up. He was. So I picked it up, after checking to make sure the lamp actually worked, and brought it back to our cabin. That thing, with the glass table, was HEAVY. But I made it. This will go into our living room when we get back home.
I find this synchronicity amusing. You see, I did not realise that I had a gift for discovering free stuff. I have always paid and most often full price for anything that I found that I knew that I needed. But this has me thinking that I should really acknowledge this gift. Once it is acknowledged, it will have an avenue through which it can express itself more frequently. This would be very cool indeed.
Had I discovered this gift years ago when I was a starving University student, I could likely have furnished an entire apartment with free stuff. But, just as other things develop over time, I suppose my awareness of this gift also must. Now that I know, however, I will be much more attentive!
Addendum: After writing this, a few days later I went to the other side of the lake. Some lovely people have a mobile jewelry shop that sets up there on weekends. I am a very valued customer because, frankly, I tend to pay their mortgage and land taxes with how much jewelery I purchase. In fact, they now shop with me in mind for the things that they import in men’s jewelery. Needless to say, their mortgage was safe once again…BUT! After I made my purchase they just instinctively threw in a FREE FEDORA! I have now I think 16 fedoras, because they look awesome on me and I am a shaman with a fashion sense. But this one I did not even have to buy! See! It works!