06/23/2026
It's funny some of the comments people write based on one video or one post. I had a big yard sale this weekend and my yard sales are pretty epic.
I have been "thrifting" since I was 12 years old. My grandmother used to take me to help her sell at the Salem, NH flea market. This was back in 1987. I would sit with her all day and watch her negotiate with customers and she drove a hard bargain. Her house and her car were filled to the brim with treasures. She would give me $10 to go off and shop on my own to find something to bring home. It was some of my greatest memories.
As soon as I could drive, I would spend my weekends going to yard sales. They didn't call it thrifting back then. When I went to college I would take all my friends to the Salvation Army to find clothes at a bargain.
In my last years of college I began to get very ill. I wouldn't know until a year later what I had. By the time I was diagnosed with late stage neurological Lyme Disease I was so far gone that it would be a miracle to survive. I spent 3 years bedridden and my brain turned inside out. It was the most difficult time of my life. I spent those years begging to survive and begging to die at the same time.
In those years, I could only hope that I would feel normal again. That I would have a normal life again. That I wound feel anything but suffering.
As I recovered and found my way back to myself, I never took like for granted. I was only 26. I'm now 51. I have two beautiful daughters and a beautiful life. I work with others who are dealing with chronic illnesses, depression, anxiety. I was agoraphobic (couldn't leave my house) for almost 7 years when I relapsed at the age of 30. Life has not been easy for me, but in all my years as a life coach and all my years of suffering, the one thing I learned the most was love. Do what you love and don't let anyone stop you. Do what makes you happy because you don't know what life of going to throw your way.
I am so incredibly happy when I'm at thrift store or an estate sale or out on a beautiful day. I meet the most wonderful people. I'm also an artist and am always looking for inspiration. It's my therapy. For a woman that at many points in get life couldn't leave her home or even her bed, don't diminish someone's joy for you might not know their story.
Have a beautiful day and keep doing what makes you feel alive. I know I will.
xoxo
