Repurposed, Recycled, Rejuvenated
Finding New Purpose when dealing with the “old.”
I have always appreciated “old” things, but I didn’t necessarily want them for myself. I never really understood the appeal of why peopled shopped antique stores, thrift shops, or garage sales? I am not experienced enough to recognize what is, or could be, a treasure.
When we agreed to buy a furnished house, complete with knick knacks, linen, dishes, towels, etc., I was asked, “are you okay with accepting everything. It’s best if you take all or nothing.” I thought, “how hard can it be?” What we don’t keep we can sell, donate, or throw away. Or, so I told myself.
When stuff does not belong to you, it is usually easier to discard, after all, there is no emotional attachment to them. For us, it made sense to deal with all of it. Use what we could and the rest, well, we could dispose of. We had just came off The Road, and we didn’t own much, just what fit inside the Airstream. Having a furnished home, complete with everything, allowed us time to decide what we wanted or needed without rushing.
My first order of business was the bulky furniture. After living the minimalist life for two years, I found I enjoyed the freedom of not being bogged down by a lot of stuff, and having a space crammed with large furniture was making me feel a bit claustrophobic.
I found out, quite quickly, that our new neighborhood area (probably a lot of Florida) was inundated with “old” people furniture. This meant pricing online had to be really low and it may take a little longer for items to move. There was no value for many of the older items.
I did one garage sale, that is my limit since I detest doing garage sales. Luckily, our new neighbor is the manager at a thrift store where the proceeds are donated to hospice patients and their families, a worthy cause. She kindly offered to take what household goods we did not want to her thrift shop. She was truly a godsend.
What was not worth much, we then made a pile of items too-large-for-the-trash-can in the garage and hired a local person to dispose of the unwanted junk.
By now, the feeling of being overwhelmed was calming down a bit. I could take a step back and analyze what was left and decide on its worthiness. I discovered a new fondness for “old” stuff. After analyzing certain items, I found myself thinking, “what if?”
What if — I tried my hand at repurposing? What if I could rejuvenate them with new life? Recycle them with a purpose that fit us?
I suddenly found myself wondering the aisles of thrift shops and antiques stores with a new eye. Thinking to myself — what could I do with that? I had discovered a new world of repurposing and noticed quite a few people in the area had turned it into a side hustle. Hmmmm!!
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
— Albert Einstein, Physicist
The first room I tackled was our bedroom. I painted the walls, took down the blinds which no longer worked, replacing them with softer curtains. I sold the bulky bedroom set on Facebook. In the guest bedroom, there was an older dresser, I loved the style but I really had my heart and design-mind set on white furniture. I decided, “why not.” I did some research and found a local store that repurposed furniture by painting it and discovered the rabbit hole of “chalk paint.” Now white, the old dresser has a fresh new look. Is rejuvenated in lively bright colors. Recycled with a new purpose, actually the same purpose, but it is still in use.
I have repurposed quite a few things in the house now. I no longer look at something and think, “I don’t need that.” Now, I wonder, what use could it have? I found these old jars in a cupboard and I filed them with colorful rocks and potpourri, then found a plate I could use and designed a little display for our newly rejuvenated dresser. Amazing what items can find a new life if you only look at it differently.
Tony (my husband) now teases me and says, “I am definitely showing my age.” I am joining the seniors who have a fondness for what was past. I remind him, so is he — after all, we are rejuvenating him and repurposing his lifestyle to prevent another heart attack, and to make us both healthier. So, it is not just objects were are rejuvenating, repurposing, or recycling, it is our health, our next chapter in life, and our thinking of what is old really.
