I dreaded waking up on Saturday morning knowing I would need to start lugging all the glassware, toys, trinkets and other random household items outside for the impromptu yard sale I decided to hold only the day before.
Operation: Purge was in full effect and it was time to get rid of the excess “stuff” from the house. Packing up would only be successful when that excess was gone.
I wasn’t really looking to make money. I’ve had yard sales before and rarely make any good money from them. I just needed to get everything out of the house and on its way to a new home. It was the process.
I thought it would be fun to have the boys help me with a yard sale. Last year, we had talked about having an art sale so Biz could sell some of his art. G wanted to plan an elaborate lemonade stand. Why not combine them all on Saturday morning?
I did not prepare for the event. I posted something on Facebook Friday night and told the boys we’d start taking stuff outside on Saturday morning. I put a quick listing up on Craigslist and hoped for the best.
G, on the other hand, woke up at 6:15am and made a checklist in bed.
He brought the checklist down to my bedroom, where Biz and I hid under the covers and thought about staying putting for just a few more minutes.
G was proud of his checklist and couldn’t wait to share. He turned a light on and started to read his list. He was ready to tackle the day and his lemonade stand duties. Number 6 on the list was key, he told me and Biz.
“You have to have a good attitude, Mom.”
“You’re absolutely right, G,” I told him.
And we got up and started preparing for our yard sale. I started taking things outside as the boys ate breakfast and a light rain started to hit my skin. I kept going, despite my doubt about the yard sale, and the boys eventually started to help. G made his lemon iced tea, poured it into cups, made a sign, determined his price, and set up his cooler. Biz, eventually, got his art outside. Our table full of stuff was strategically set under a tree so that the exact area we were in was dry. We hung a few signs (made by G, of course) around the neighborhood.
The rain was light and eventually stopped. We had a few customers. We sold some stuff, some art, and some lemon iced tea. A man in a dress stopped to tell me I was pretty.
We kept our good attitude and celebrated our success. Then we loaded up my Explorer and donated the rest. A carload of things we didn’t have to worry about anymore. That evening, we hopped into the car, drove to Boothbay Harbor and ate gourmet popcorn by the water.
As stressful as all of this is and has been, #6 really is key. I’m lucky to have one smart 9-year-old to remind me.
How’s your attitude today?
