My daughter seems to be learning to read using garage sale signs. Every weekend when we’re out in our neighborhood, she looks at all of the signs on the poles and says, “Oh! A garage sale. Let’s go!” This makes me alternately grin and cringe. I love garage sales and am often tempted to spend too much money at them. Then again, I find some great items for very low prices, and sometimes I even need them.
Over the last year and a half, we’ve been collecting dolls. These aren’t just any dolls. These are the drop-dead ugliest dolls you’ve ever seen. On an overseas trip, the only thing my daughter wanted to bring back was the world’s ugliest doll from the flea market. I believe that this doll used to use the potty, since she seems to have holes in odd parts of her anatomy. Her eyes also open and shut and remain half-shut at the best of times.
We’ve since added to the collection of dolls with a number of dolls from yard sales around our city. These dolls come with messy hair and no clothes. Often they are stained. At first I would tell my daughter that she couldn’t have the dolls, but she kept on picking them. She gets an allowance and she does get to choose one item at a garage sale on a weekend if she wishes, as long as it fits into her budget. So I acquiesced to the dolls, and now we have at least ten lost dolls sitting in her room, well-clothed and named and loved.
I’ve realized that this isn’t just a matter of wanting a toy. My daughter feels sad for the lost dolls and wants to give them a place to stay. So for now they are staying at our house, wanted and enjoyed and in great company. Even if they are a little worse for wear, they belong to someone again.