By Kimberly Mayer, Journal contributor
Some weeks back, when a visitor asked for recommendations of things to do in Friday Harbor, I was a bit surprised by my friend Kat Rose’s response, “Be sure to visit our consignment shops.” Kat explained, “People move to the island and soon adopt the rural style and we sell our city clothes.” She then listed various local consignment and thrift shops for clothing, housewares, and furniture for the visitor.
Now I don’t know why I was surprised by Kat’s response, as unloading in these venues is what I do all the time lately. Basically, the longer I’m on island—ten years now—the less I seem to need. One day I may just float off and become a bhikkhuni, a Buddhist nun. Seriously, I am trying to lighten my footprint.
I find my clothes go rather fast at Girlfriends, though handbags tend to hang around. I recently brought a console table into Treasure Hounds (where proceeds go to the animal shelter), followed by a pair of antique French chairs. They’re just not me anymore, not our lifestyle—if they ever were. The Thrift House (benefitting the fire department) always receives my linens. Books go to Serendipity and Little Free Libraries whenever they’re not full. Any finer objects I once collected and loved are at Funk & Junk. Finally, Community Treasures is what I drive through to donate everything from garden hoses to box springs when the others are closed.
Nobody gave it much thought, but all the boomers would be unloading at once.
Some of the best things show up second-hand, I know that. Indeed some of the items I’m giving away were consignment shop finds in the first place. When we moved into this house we filled a crawl space—whatever were we thinking in storing things there? Whatever is there, we obviously don’t need it. And our kids don’t want our stuff. Aren’t all millennials minimalists? Likewise I don’t bemoan anything I have given away. Gone is gone, and there is so much joy in giving and gifting, and experiencing a little monetary compensation in the case of consigning. But the real reward is experiencing lightness.
Today there is so much more I don’t want, than that I do. I am happier with less.
When we came up with “The Nature of Things” as a title for this column, I liked it for the reason that I could write on any subject I chose. But sometimes it’s about the things you can do without and the nature of that. That’s the space I’m writing into today.
