My thirteen year old daughter asked me if I would go “thrifting” with her. She wanted to find unique clothes to up-cycle, so we headed to local Goodwill retail store here in Las Vegas.
To her, it’s a novelty to buy second-hand clothes. For me, it was a major part of my childhood to find a good bargain in an “op shop”. And when I was a single mother ten years ago, it was how I rebuilt my life to furnish our little apartment. My stuff was either low cost or junk I found on the side of the road. I felt like the wealthiest person in the world to have a house that I furnished all by myself.
The memories of my old mindset started to flash back to me as I wandered the rows of used cutlery, plates, vases, and Christmas decorations. I could sense the energy of the other people doing their scouting – looking for a bargain that would save the day. The thrift store is definitely a path to prosperity when you need to save money.
My daughter was clutching a Yoshi t-shirt from the 1980s in one aisle, while I stood to take a moment to remember my journey to get to where I am today. Then “Everybody Hurts” by REM started playing and I had to choke back a flood of tears.
An empath in a thrift store is sometimes a confronting combination.
I was thinking about the section labelled “special occasion dresses for $12.99 and how they might have represented happy times for someone. All of the joy and sadness and everything in between has been experienced in these items of used clothing.
I have always believed in the saying:
“One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”
However, when you are energetically sensitive it takes some practice to not get influenced by the energy of pre-loved items and clothing. You have to learn to discern between what is your own energy, and what is the residual vibe-funk of someone else.
There’s always a part of my heart that loves a good find. In the recent trip to the Goodwill store I shook random snow globes, found a Disney Princess camera (that required a film – remember that? ) and a pink Prada bag that was definitely a knock off.
There’s so much beauty in a thrift store. It literally is a saving grace for people that don’t have the resources to buy all of the things that they need to buy, brand new. In truth, America is radically different than Australia when it comes to the costs and demands of daily life. However, the flashbacks of meaning I had in a superstore filled with used items reminded me of the beauty of the journey.
When Olivia and I were ready to pay for her items, the man behind the check out asked me if I was signed up to their newsletter. I said no. He told me that I would save $5.00 if I did. I said no again.
Then he said it would take less than 20 seconds. I said yes. I say yes because in the time that it took me to say no I realized how I had such a lack of consciousness around saving five dollars.
Five dollars for me ten years ago was something I prayed for.
Five dollars for me ten years ago was the difference between my children eating or going hungry for the day.
And there I was, saying no to that opportunity to save five dollars. I caught myself in a moment of being a total asshat. I’m happy I was able to remind myself not to be such an entitled biz-natch. I don’t want to be that person that takes those moments and those kind offerings from granted. I want to feel grateful for what I have.
Remember: The Universe is always sending you gifts, but do you receive them graciously or begrudgingly? It’s a very important distinction.
I own a 7 figure business, but that’s not an excuse to forget the range of different mindsets and perspectives when it comes to the consciousness around money. In fact, it’s having an anti-abundance mindset not to honor the journey of others.
So here I am confessing in a blog post article that I had a moment of forgetting and that there is always a beautiful opportunity to remember the truth. The truth that beyond judgement, beyond incomes, struggles, triumphs and different phases of life that we all have a journey to travel to find out our own path to prosperity.
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