Last Monday, 10/15, I embarked on a new adventure ... accompanying my new husband to a 'Storage Unit Auction.' You know those U-store-it units which are just about a dime a dozen these days, where people store their stuff? Well, frequently the people don't pay the rent on their storage unit, and eventually the contents go up for public auction. Ron purchases one or two units a year, and then sells the 'treasures' at consignment stores, on ebay, at the swap meet, etc.
It was quite an experience for me, and definitely way outside my comfort zone! But there were some interesting people there. One lady was 'buying back' her granddaughter's unit so they could get the boxes of family photographs...another couple have a used furniture store and are always looking for furniture bargains...another guy (and his wife) make the rounds at the swap meets each week... most of them knew each other, they were regulars.
This was a 'silent' auction. Everyone was given a number (we were #10) and a pad of bidding slips to write your bid. The good thing is you don't necessarily feel the pressure to increase your bid, when someone outbids you, like you would at a regular auction. On the other hand, because you don't know what the others are bidding, you wonder...am I bidding too little or too much? (For instance, the woman who was retrieving her family photos - bid all of the cash she had, $242. We purchased a unit for $6 and another person won with a $1 bid! When she found out she didn't have to wager everything she had, she was disappointed - but at the same time she wanted the best shot possible at winning the bid. It's a risk...) Anyway, you walk around the storage facility, the managers open the door for a few minutes for you to look in ... you're not allowed to go inside, or move anything to see what's behind stuff. You can use a flashlight to see into the dark, but that's part of the fun and mystery I guess. It's like a 'grab bag.' Some units are stuffed to the rafters...others have just a box or two... So, Ron bids $5 on a unit no one else placed a bid on. (I was confused on which unit he purchased and at first thought it was one overflowing with literally junk...he couldn't figure out why I was so upset. But then when we went to get the stuff out of the unit, it was a different one - one that had some nice stuff in it. I apologized...he was gracious...)
But as we're loading up our new 'treasures,' I couldn't help but wonder... were the items really someone's treasures, or were they already considered trash by their previous owners, just bits and pieces of a life no longer lived? There were photo albums filled with pictures, there was a professional portrait of a family, there was a Christmas tree and lots of Christmas decorations, there was a big box of Halloween decorations... They collected anything with lighthouses, there was an assortment of kids backpacks ... even a Bible - and I thought you can tell alot about someone by their 'stuff.' Which got me to thinking again... I love 'stuff.' What does my stuff reveal about me? Does it really portray what's most important in my life, or just that I 'collect' this or that... Going through this stranger's items, I wondered where are they now? Did the family break up through divorce, a death, why are the pictures in a storage unit? Was it just supposed to be a temporary holding place... Lots of questions... and not many answers. But it was a great object lesson. I don't want to just leave behind a bunch of 'stuff.' I want to leave behind memories that will linger long after the stuff is gone. I want to know my life made a difference in someone's life. I want to know my life mattered. I've been given a second chance to do just that - make a difference in people's lives. Besides my children and grandchildren, I have another family, too. A new husband and three stepkids - all of whom I love very much. It's challenging and I pray I'm up to the task... The whole adventure has certainly given me lots to think about and consider... and all because he made a $5.00 bid...
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