Walking is good for the soul

Today I must finish responding to a student's 50-page thesis draft; plan two medieval dances to teach a group of honors students; research hotels in Venice and catacomb tours for Rome; reckon my tax returns, read Book 8 of Middlemarch, and prepare lessons on Paradise Lost. 

Some Saturdays, this ambitious list would have me burrowing into my pillow for an extra hour, reluctant to begin a non-stop day, especially after a month of Saturdays filled with moving plans, preparation, and labor. This morning, however, I did far better thing: I went for a walk.

After sleeping, walking is one of my Favorite Things. For my first nine years of school, I walked between home and school nearly every day, and and we almost always walked to church, as well. In college, when I did not own a car, I walked not only to class, but to church, for errands, and for recreation. I would spend hours wandering the neighborhoods around campus, or making wide circuits on the walking and biking trail by the railroad tracks. During grad school, I took advantage of a beautiful riverside walking trail that ran behind Baylor's Law School and athletic facilities. I paced that trail while chewing on thesis statements, praying, laughing with friends, wondering if I could be in love, listening to new music, dreaming of life after the dissertation.

Here in Alabama, our campus is beautiful for walking, but my apartment, dear in so many ways, did not encourage wandering. Venture beyond the fence of the complex itself, and you stumble onto a very busy road. My new neighborhood, however, invites walks, strolls, strides, and many other forms of perambulation. In fact, the older parts of the city were actually designed to be pedestrian communities, so the architectural front of my house faces a sidewalk, not a drive-able street.

From my house (my house!) I can easily walk to several general stores, to the library, the park, to Baptist, Methodist, Episcopalian, and Catholic churches. I can walk to the homes of several friends. Today, I walked to a community yard sale. Here are some of the reasons I believe walking is so good for the soul:

* Walking changes my sense of time. I become eager for the hopeful twilight of morning hours, so I will rise early in order to walk. I expect walking to take time, much more time than a car, and so I set aside all hurrying instincts. If someone invites me to step inside for a few minutes, I am much more likely to say 'yes' if I have walked there.

* Walking encourages me to pray. Without the distractions of work or internet at hand, my mind settles into a rhythm of watchfulness. If I pray at home in the mornings, I nearly always fall asleep or find my mind wandering. With my body occupied by walking, my mind regains its simplicity, and if I notice something--a child's swing, a house needing repair, a church--my attention carries it into prayer as if it were part of my breathing. Prayer-walking is a spiritual discipline I have loved since my teens, and after so many years, walking nearly always feels like a form of listening, thanksgiving, confession, or intercession.

* Walking keeps me aware of and wise for my body. Too much sitting produces half-formed appetites and unwise cravings. Fresh air, light, and movement make me deeply and properly hungry for good food.

* Walking enriches both solitude and community. I never mind going for a walk by myself. Indeed, when living in community, walks often become my best recourse for much-needed solitude. At the same time, some of the best conversations I have had with friends have come while walking. Today, I walked to the yard sale, met my friend Grace and one of her daughters, and then walked back home with Grace to help her carry the fabric she had purchased. Had we been in cars, we would have bid one another farewell and parted ways, but instead we chatted about sewing plans, about the university, about the children, the students. Little Alathea sang us a song about polka dots.

* Walking teaches me to love a place. For my first two years in Texas, I walked to church nearly every Sunday. I meditated on those walks in one of my first blog entries (read it here), realizing that without them, I would not have come to love Waco nearly so deeply or so well. May the same be true for Alabama.

This week, I challenge you to walk somewhere you would normally drive--the grocery store, school, a friend's home. Come back and share what you notice! 

Setting out for a morning walk along Grant Street

Through the park.....

...and across the bridge.

Yard sale! 

Headed home from Grace's house. This is the "street" my house is on. 

I notice more when walking. 

Learning to love the way home. 

How to win at yard sales

In one of my first blog entries, I wrote about how many of my household goods have been loving gifts and hand-me-downs from friends (you can read that entry here).  Almost all the rest of my wares and tools--from clothes to furniture to kitchen things--come from yard sales.

I learned to yard sale (yard shop?) from my mother and aunt.  Nearly every Friday and Saturday in the summer, my mother and I would venture across town seeking treasures.  We have all kinds of stories hung and folded away in our homes: the stained glass dome light in my parents' house, the little roll-top desk in my bedroom, all our luggage, my turntable, garden tools, innumerable books and skirts and mugs.

Even amid the hectic life of a grad student, I have often made time for yard sales.  Rising from yard sales makes me get out of bed much earlier than I would otherwise, and the delight of finding good, lasting things for such little money blunts the temptation to buy new things later in the week.

Here, then, is my brief guide to finding treasures and having fun at yard sales:

Preparation

Throughout the year, keep a "watch-for" list for yourself and your friends.  Whenever you think, "I would really love to find an immersion blender, or a bicycle, or a little black dress," write it down. Yard sales often have such an array of goods that it can be helpful to know what you want to notice. If you are looking for furniture, write down any relevant  measurements and keep them with your yard-sale money.

Plan your expedition carefully.  Some yard sales are posted on Craigslist, but the best place to find listings is the classified section of a Saturday-morning newspaper.  Usually they are grouped by neighborhood, which makes planning a route easier. 

Take plenty of small bills and change.  During the summer, I usually keep a pouch of cash dedicated just to yard sales.  My mother uses the cash-back bonus from her credit card for her summer yard-sale money.  If you are in the market for something that might be more than $10 or $20, you might want to take a check book with you, as well. 

Take something to drink and a snack. Since the best yard sales are early in the morning, I like to take a travel mug of tea and some cereal to munch.   If you have a shopping companion who is takes longer than you at sales, consider bringing a book so you can wait gracefully, if need be. 

If possible, go with friends.  I've had many successful yard-sale expeditions solo, but it is easier and more fun to go together. Practically, having one person navigate to listed addresses and to watch for signs posted is really helpful.  Socially, spending a morning wandering from sale to sale can be really good quality time, rather like a road trip in miniature. Plus, even if you don't find any material goods, you have spent time in good company.

Type of Yard Sales

             

The best types of yard sales are those which offer goods from lots of people at once.  Sales held at churches and schools tend to be the best for both selection and price.  Multifamily and neighborhood sales are also good, especially if an entire subdivision, for example, agrees to hold yard sales on the same day. 

I have also noticed that different neighborhoods have very different kinds of yard sales. If you know your city well, you can learn to predict with some accuracy how good the sales will be.  Generally, the best sales happen in older neighborhood.  You want to go to yard sales held by people who bought high-quality goods twenty-five years ago, and who are now primarily interested in cleaning out their house.  If they want to get rid of things, prices will be lower. Historical districts were always the best neighborhoods in my hometown.  New subdivisions tend to have the worst yard sales.  The items for sale, like the houses, tend to be generic and overpriced. 

Shopping

Shopping itself is the fun part.  After you have been to a few sales in your town, decide upon some general price guidelines for items you might buy. For example, here are some of my general limits

Clothing: 50¢ to $3 (something has to be *really* nice to get $3)

Books: 25¢ to $1

Furniture: $5 - $20, depending on quality, although we did once pay $50 for a bed

Miscellany (kitchen utensils, crafts supplies, stationery): 25¢  to $1

If you are shopping with friends, it is fun to have some running contests during the day, such as "Strangest Item for Sale."  You can enjoying seeking and showing these sorts of things without having to buy them.

Bargaining

I am much more shy about bargaining than my mother and aunt, but I will sometimes offer a different price than what is listed.  I usually only do this, however, if I am buying several things, and can offer a certain price for the whole bag or bundle. These offers are usually accepted.

If you want to bring the price down on a particular item, it is sometimes worthwhile to go back to the sale in the early afternoon, when most sales are shutting down.  People are often willing to take a lower price if their other option is not selling it all. 

Showing Ritual 

This is essential. After the yard sales, go home and show someone, anyone, what you found. My mother and I will do this together, even if we have shopped together the entire day. Sometimes I have done it via Skype with friends.  It is a chance to give thanks for what you found and to rejoice with the success of your friends. 

And with that, allow me to show you some of my recent yard-sale discoveries.

The suitcase, not the cat

Little black dress

Shoes, rain gauge, owl wrapping paper

Foldable sun hat, comfy shirt, and shorts all came from yard sales.

Vintage sewing notions, groovy stationery

Basket, tea tin, and fancy soap

This is my first apartment. The rocking chair and its blanket, the corner shelf, many of the books, all the glass bottles, the dove stained-glass above my head, and much more came from yard sales.

The desk, the blue pillow, the glass bottles, and all the embroidery hoops.

Do you go to yard sales? If so, what is the most exciting or interesting thing you ever found?