The Things I Own

Due to the fruit flies gathering around my week's worth of dishes piled high in my tiny kitchen sink, I decided I should finally wash a few of the dishes.  As I was scrubbing my new second hand knife, I started to think about its life before I purchased it.  Who owned it before?  Did they leave it in the sink for days on end, as I had done on its first entrance to my collection?  Why did they give this knife up if it, obviously, still cuts things?  They loved the knife enough to pass it on to a new life, but not enough to keep it in their own stash.

Then I thought about the books I've bought at various second hand shops.  How many owners have they had?  Am I the first one to actually READ the book?  How did its previous owners treat it?  Did they carry it around lovingly in their purse, or in their stack of books they carry from class to class?  Did they make their friends read it before sending it on to find a new owner?  Did it sit on someone's shelf for years without a thought after its first reading?

What about my new shorts?  They are so cute.  I can't imagine why someone would give them away.  I wonder if their previous owner just out grew them, or she lost weight and no longer needed her fat pants.  Maybe she never found anything to match them.  Or maybe she had a really bad experience while wearing those shorts and couldn't bear to wear them anymore.

What about the many puzzles, none of the pieces missing, some still in unopened boxes.  I have found so many new games in perfect condition with all of their pieces.  All of the movies that someone purchased at full price, I was able to pick up for $2 (less than the late fees I usually pay on the FREE movies I rent from the library).

And Lord knows I've found some CRAZY decorative pieces.  I always wonder who bought these in the first place.  How much did they pay for them full price?  Did they buy it as a novelty, like I have, or did it fit in to some collection?  Did they chuckle at it like I did when I found it hidden in a stack of frames?

But I am not crazy, I don't think.....

UPDATE:  Here is a post I put together with some tips for thrifting.