Saturday Prebrief

It's dark outside. I am showered and ready. I find myself asking what it is that gets me motivated like this on a Saturday morning. There is really nothing else except international air travel or a newborn baby that could get me up this early. It's not just shopping. And it's not just bargains. I have never lined up early on black Friday for a post-Thanksgiving sale at a normal retail establishment. What motivates me is the delicious combination of adventure and conquest. We tear around town Thelma-and-Louise-style (if T&L drove a minivan and brought along a toddler.) We know there is something dangerous about our early morning adventure -- we explore deep into scary basements, encounter men of questionable character who live on the fringe of society, we face marital reprimand for our spending and collecting. But the promise of finding an unexpected treasure is too compelling! There is little in my life that surprises and delights me. (my children, of course, but they come with a lot of baggage, don't they?) But here, on a chilly fall morning, before the sun comes up, I imagine the wild and zany things we will find today. Like hidden Easter eggs full of fine chocolate! And who will be selling these gems? Will the proprietor of the sale have all his teeth? Will the seller have tagged and displayed his wares or will he only reluctantly have unloaded them from his garage to satisfy his wife's demands? What will I learn about the lives these people live from the tangibles they no longer want? One woman went to too many Pampered Chef parties and has to dump her superfluous gadgets. One man spent 20 years going to garage sales and has decided to liquidate his collection in an effort to simplify. One woman is moving up in the world, leaving her mobile home and knick-knacks behind. One couple enjoyed dressing their children in mounds of expensive clothing and needs to recoup a tiny fraction of the expense.

We are bringing the camera today. Tune in later.