Used and Forgotten

My penchant for taking interest in things that other people no longer want takes me to thrift stores, garage sales, and rummage sales. More than the thrill of finding a great bargain, it is the sheer joy of discovering those one-of-a-kind items that promise an interesting history if only they were known.

Surveying a room full of second-hand items, my eyes would search for the unusual but practical items, like trade books, wooden frames or decorative boxes.



I feel an equal dose of excitement when I chance upon items left behind, whether accidentally, or on purpose. I have found matchless earrings, bracelets, pendants, and a ring. They are hardly ever worn, but they are kept along with my regular accessories.

From a tired-looking bungalow whose owners left a ton of junk before my family moved in, my mother and I sorted through so many old items. From the pile, I’ve kept a deep hunter green jewelry box, a postcard of a Picasso repro, and a hard-bound book on a collection of paintings.

Finding a purpose for things that other people had thrown away seems to have become a natural reaction for me, like at the time I spent my scholarship year in Georgia in 1994 where I found, at the dorm basement, of all things, a small, 2 cubic-foot brown dorm fridge and an electric water-heating jug, which turned out to be working! I also brought back to my dorm room discarded hangers and microwaveable food containers.

Of course I generally prefer buying brand new things (though I avoid paying at full retail!), but the quest for second-hand items still brings me to scavenging in thrift shops for a stylish top, a bag, or curtains on occasion. I still appreciate close to half of the items handed down to my by mother, mother-in-law, or a friend who’s moving out. But there is always something alluring about an object with a past.

Some songwriter wrote “Searching is half the fun: life is much more manageable when thought of as a scavenger hunt as opposed to a surprise party.”