Thrifting: God & I time

Goodness this week has been a busy one at work- we got a new project which has meant putting in more hours to complete it– as a result I didn’t have the energy to take pictures for a good as seen on celebrity post.  In fact, this morning I had to take quick snaps to keep on schedule with my blogging (smile).  As I was taking the pics I realized that my outfit (without watch or purse) is completely thrifted.  A few weeks ago I was at Goodwill and a woman brought her beau to the thrift store for his first time and he looked completely lost and overwhelmed.  I overheard him telling her, “It’s so much to take in, there’s just so much stuff!  My eyes are having trouble focusing.” I privately giggled because I remembered the first time I stepped into a thrift store I was equally overwhelmed because there’s little to no order.  I accompanied my mom and she found great treasures while I walked out with nothing more than a headache.  The thing is that if you are walking in expecting a thrift store to be like a regular store divided by type, size, brand, color, etc. than your thrifting experience will be a huge fail.  I had to learn that thrifting is like a scavenger hunt (which I learned to enjoy and eventually love) it’s a matter of searching for unexpected treasures in piles of disorder.  Finding the deals I find is a matter of patience and persistence.  People often ask me where I shop because they erroneously think that I find things every time I go, but it’s really a matter of unceasing consistency.  Yes, I have my shops that I continuously stop in, some of the sale associates already know me.  Also, I have found what days I tend to find the best deals, but still it’s a matter of effort and it takes time to look around.  People have also asked me to invite them along- and to be completely honest I like shopping alone.  I know it’s selfish of me, but thrifting is me time.  Sometimes God and I time because while going through the hangers I love talking to Him.  I often talk to Him about the struggles I am facing that day, what’s bothering me and ask for His advice.  Sometimes, I even tell Him my complaints and ask for His continuous involvement in my troubles, trifle as they might be.  Usually whether I find a treasure or not I leave the store more uplifted because God and I had our moment (smile).

The thing about being bipolar is that on somedays my thoughts are a little too strong to control, so on those days I need to be completely involved in something in order to find relief.  Thrifting is a fun way I do that, but a good book, a spiritual talk on CD or getting myself to my Zumba classes are good alternatives.  Little everyday things refresh my soul and I think it’s important for each of us to find those activities that inspire and bring us closer to God.  When I had just returned to the church I remember one speaker talked to us about prayer and he mentioned that our lives should be a life of prayer.  At the time, I thought he meant that every moment of my life I was to be praying the rosary or reciting a prayer and I thought how impossible that would be for me.  I thought prayer only involved words, but as Saint Therese would teach me prayer can be our daily actions.  Everything that we do with the right attitude can be an offering to our Lord.  Learning to pray actively has been my saving grace- it gives me hope and pushes all the negativity away.