Goodwill Hunting

It was just kind of one of those days.  (You can substitute your own list, if you need to).

Lack of sleep. *  Too many phone calls. *  My son had a bad day at school and I talked to his teacher for a long time. *  One of my clients cried when she learned that her guardian, a trusted friend, had been stealing money from her for at least four years.  I found myself crying along with her and her family members in her livingroom.  We were all sobbing. *  There was just kind of a gray cloud hanging over things.

Unable to process anymore, I finally shut things down at the office and decided to head home.  As I headed north on Oliver, I impulsively decided to pull into the parking lot of Goodwill the clouds started to part.  If you know my affinity for Goodwill on a regular day, you know that no one had to twist my arm.

I went inside, and as always, felt my stress level start to subside immediately.  I started to relax.  Some people step into Goodwill and see junk.  All I see are possibilities.

First I saw this gorgeous, lush contemporary floral print in a think black metal frame in a color scheme that I had been recently coveting.  It was new with tags and appeared to be an overstock from Target. $14.99.  Score!

Next I found some large (like 11x16) floral and art books at $1.99 each.  Very aesthetically beautiful and appealing.  The score so far?  Peace and tranquility: 2.  Stress: 0

Finally, I found a brand new Sunbeam stand mixer in it's original, unopened box.  It was probably somebody's duplicate wedding gift that they didn't get returned.  $ 9.99.  I got it home and it's indeed unused and in perfect condition. It was just in time for my daughter to ask,"Can we PUH-LEASE make cupcakes or some chocolate chip cookies?  (Sure. May I please put my purse and keys down and rest for a few minutes first, sweetness?)

My point?  After an hour at Goodwill, I came home feeling refreshed and de-stressed.  I realize this isn't everyone's idea of stress relief, but each to their own, right?  There's really no accounting for taste. :)

So, we ordered a pizza, and we're going to relax for the rest of the evening.  Maybe we'll make some cookies and my daughter will be happy.  Maybe I'll watch the movie "Goodwill Hunting" so I can sob my eyes out like I do every time Robin Williams' character has the scene with Matt Damon where he keeps saying over and over, "It's not your fault, son."

On second thought, I've had enough tears for today.  Maybe I'll watch something like Spongebob Squarepants and try not to take life so darn seriously.