Sometimes, my curiosity leads to good things. Once, I got curious about the profoundly disturbing smell in my refrigerator. Turns out, it was an old Taco Bell burrito. A hard and ugly Taco Bell burrito with mold. I cleared that toxic mess out of my fridge, did a little scrub, and Bam! back to freshness.
Other times, my curiosity makes me sign up for things that sound like a fan-tiddly-tastic idea at first, but as the day draws near, I want to run away, change my name to Poot-Poot, and assume another life as a coffin salesperson to avoid the commitment I’ve made.
This week is not one of those times I want to change my identity and bolt. I’m excited…a little too much, maybe.
Since giving up shopping, I’ve been curious about not only what people buy, but also what people choose to throw away. At one point, someone thought those items were worthy enough to spend hard-earned money to purchase. Then, they chuck it. Why?
My friend, Luke, proudly displays a coffee table in his living room he discovered by a dumpster while out walking his dog. It’s perfect, no dings or cracks anywhere. Maybe the former owner couldn’t look at the silver knobs a minute longer? Maybe it was gift from a former lover who ended up stealing all of his DVDs, and the table was a reminder of the betrayal? Every time I visit Luke, I come up with a different possibility. I can’t help but wonder why someone would throw it away.
I’ve never been dumpster diving, so I’m a little nervous. My friend, Jennifer, has graciously offered to be my Dumpster Diving Guide. She’s even promised to hose me down in her front yard afterwards. Jennifer, you are a gem.
I’ll fill you in next week about our adventure. We’re donating any finds in good, working condition to a local charity.
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Has a friend ever dared you to do something…unusual. Did you do it?
Have you ever found any interesting discards? Did you take it home?
