Why I'm Not A Thrifter

I have a few friends who are amazing thrifters. They can go to just about any thrift shop and find the chic-est, most stylish finds. I used to go with one of my friends back in high school. I ended up buying one of my favorite sweatshirts there, but that's all I have to show for it. She is one of those people who can go to a thrift shop and find a t-shirt that you can pull off with jeans and stilettos. I, on the other hand, find t-shirts you can wear to the gym, but even those look a little cheesy.

I have thought about becoming one of those thrifters. Those people who manage to always look great in their own style, but I still have not gone to a thrift store. Not even for my kids. It makes total sense for us to shop at those stores. David and I both have jobs that lead us to say "we do the job because we like to help people, not for the money", which is 100% true, but still kind of funny on the bank account. But, even as I thought about going recently as I am still hanging onto some baby weight, I have not gone, and I think I know why.

To be a thrifter, you have to see the potential in an item. What you could pair it with, how you could make it work for you. I don't like that. I like having items that are already pretty and perfect. The kind that are crisp and new and when I hang them on the clothesline downstairs, they are just waiting for the next season to hit so that I can wash them and put them away like some sort of prize that promises with a new season comes a fresh start. And this leads me to an "area for improvement" (as a job would tell you) in my own life. I want people, life, everything, to not be from a thrift shop. I want everything to be perfect and new and crisp and clean. I don't want to search for the potential in it.

I want my husband to be perfect. I don't want to have to look for potential in him. I want my body to be brand new after having my kids. I don't want to have to look in the mirror and tell myself why it is okay that I do not look like my 20 year old self anymore. I want my house to be fresh and clean and organized, I don't want to look at my pink bathroom and brainstorm how pretty it could be.

I am so glad that God does not have anything against thrifting. He looks at us and sees the potential for greatness in our lives. I wonder what it would be like if I could look at people and do the same.