Psychological Ramifications of Garage Sales

The often gullible, sentimental, and idealist side of me thought that I was doing something for the greater good. Recycle, reduce, reuse, right?

Yet, unless you are an antique dealer, or someone looking for some one-of-a-kind item... I hate the idea of perusing over peoples' unwanted items. It took some real time and thought when going room by room, looking for items for this sale. The only consolation I had was the thought that the items were going to be put to use... and that I would be able to make a little money too... which is always good :)
Yet to see people get out of their cars, pick through belongings, and often WALK AWAY to their cars without a second thought... let's just say it's very humbling... and eye-opening of how crappy some of my stuff really is and was.
For that very reason----- I don't go to garage sales... It's hard for me to walk up to someone's home, look through their hand-me-downs and then walk away, thus letting them also feel like their stuff is nothing but crap.

Ever since my mother sold my most favorite dress (velvety red with a big ribbon and white lace) when I was six to the meanest girl in the neighborhood, I have hated the idea of garage sales. And while many don't really care to read about about the psychological ramifications, (which are plenty in number!), just picture me as a little girl offering my mother 50 cents for the dress (which was ALREADY MINE) just before she sold it to EVIL, AWFUL, TRAMPY Tara Travis, the neighborhood bully, for 25 cents. It didn't even fit her- so she put it on her stupid doll.

So--- there is my warped take on garage sales. I have learned much in the last day...
The biggest lesson is that I put too much value on personal material items. Secondly- I'm too sentimental.
Thirdly- I've learned that I still hate Tara Travis.
Fourth- I'll probably do a garage sale again because it's a necessary evil. Fifth- Blogs are much cheaper that a shrink's couch when working out childhood troubles.

I feel better already.