Zen and the Art of Treasure Hunting

Last week sucked.  I drove hundreds of miles to go to a mini-Longest Yard Sale and found ... okay, a really nice Coach bag for $3, a very old piece of ceramic for $2 (that I need to research), and a 14K gold clutchback in a bag of "singles" for 25 cents ... but, basically, for a full tank of gas and a well-before-dawn rise-and-drive, it was truly depressing.  On top of that, on the long drive home, in a petulant and hopeful mood, I stopped at the thrift shop in which I found much of my bounty a week or so ago and bought a pair of earrings marked "14K" and "585" which turned out to be gold posts and metal bodies.  To top it off, I'd done the same thing Friday - okay, I didn't actually find more than an Algebra book, but I did it all greedy and ended up wasting gas, money, and time.  Like a shark in a tank full of blood, I went a little crazy - again! - and harshed my Zen mellow, big time.

It's okay, though, I don't have to focus on the suckiness.  I have all kinds of things I can, and want to meditate on.  How about these?

Bugs galore.  The two at the bottom left are the gold bugs, upper left is the frat pin (duh).  The others are silver - the two butterflies are plique-a-jour (enamelled so that it shows through the wispy silver filligree like a stained glass window).  The ring, too, is really fabulous - shadowbox style, Taxco, marked with an artist I don't know yet.  There's also a watch, marked in thanks of 25 years of service (white gold and diamonds, for a sugar company!) that I forgot to put up (or even mention last week).  Overall, a very, very good day.

And the aftermath I'd mentioned, too, the week at flea market and thrift shop and yard sale.

That Orioles pendant is 14K, and will pay for the necklace (charm and chain) all by itself when I meet up with my new favorite guy.  The star necklace and small service pin were from an estate sale.  The rings were a combo of flea and thrift, and are all gold (10K, 12K, and 14K), some marked, most not.  The circle is marked and is all gold, as is the charm bracelet.  The cluster of earrings I bought for the clutchbacks, which are marked, but all the (unmarked) earrings also tested as 14K.  The tie tack is 18K, with a gorgeous opal (marked K18, oddly, which is why I'm going to retest everything once I get my mojo back).  The silver bracelet at the bottom is silver marked "Denmark" and "H.S.", which, I believe, stands for Hermann Siersbol.

Yeah, that was a very good week.  It helps to relive the successes, to ruminate on what went right.  But it helps more to meditate on the reasons it all went right, according to my own personal truths:

What we project and inject into the world we get back multiplied, so hunt with love and joy because bad thoughts, like greed, not only stop up the flow - they ruin my fun!

When I let my stuff reach critical mass I feel antsy and overloaded (and there's no room for more of anything).  We are channels, not reservoirs.  And the universe is perfectly happy with a judicious blend of donating, selling, and trading to keep the cycle going.

When I neglect my responsibilities (especially for the Hunt) I not only get little or nothing, I almost always end up in the hole.  What I do behind the scenes matters.

Hey, Mama Angel meddles in every area of my life.  I'd better remember that the next time I invite her to the party, huh?