Estate Sale

Estate Sale

Today as I was driving back from the grocery store I saw a small sign posted on the side of the road, it said “Estate Sale” and had an arrow pointing up the side street.

I followed that sign for several miles wondering if that sign meant today.

I arrived and found I was one of 25 others who had seen the same sign. The house was in the ritzy neighborhood of Hillcrest. 

After securing a parking place on the small street I entered the house. It was crowded with other curious people who were busy inspecting all the items.

The first room was jewelry, gobs and gobs of dazzle and glass.

The second room was kitchen stuff, there were all the recipe books of a lifetime and all the cookware, linens, and dishes.

Another room was dedicated to shoes, hundreds of shoes of all colors, some for specific holidays and seasons.

Three floors of rooms, all filled with stuff collected from a lifetime.

It felt empty to me, a life on a hill overlooking the little people far below. 

Each room was a window into the life of this person.

At the end of a lifetime, this is what was left.

Strangers looking for a bargain.

Each room was showcasing a life time of collecting. 

It wasn’t a small amount either. 

This person had way too much money and time and found comfort in surrounding themselves with stuff.

I wondered, what will my life reflect when I leave this earth? Will people pity me? Feel sorry for me? 

I would hope that my collections of stuff will show that I lived a life filled with adventure, happiness, travel, and someone who made a difference in this life.

My daily walks through the cemetery show what most people leave as a legacy to this life. A stone with a name, a birth and death date and maybe an epithet that reflected what they became or did.

Hmm.

Is it time to change a few things in my current life?

Probably.

My collection of stuff needs to be seriously downsized. 

I need to follow my own rule, if I haven’t used it in a year I need to consider passing it on. If I haven’t used it in a couple of years I definitely need to let it go.

Oh there are always exceptions to the rule and I guess that is what someone someday will be rifling though to find their bargain.

My desire and hope would be that when my stuff is laid out that it reflects a life well lived with minimal stuff.