YOUR JUNK IS MY TREASURE

There remains within us a bit of the child-like character.

We enjoy stumbling onto something seemingly lost, someone’s
discarded item that we find valuable. I was vividly reminded of
this fact during a recent trip through a flea market. As I walked
through the thousands of items on display, I couldn’t help
wondering how many were at one time someone’s junk. Old
baseball cards, comic books, paperbacks, dishes, glasses, and
countless other items were available. We have, at one time or
another, thrown similar items out of our house as junk. Now
each of these relics, once thought to be worthless, had moved to
a new place of prominence and increased in value.
Almost as interesting as the pieces on display were the
many people who were rummaging through the piles. Each was
looking for that long-awaited bargain, that lost treasure hidden
among the many goods before them. Each was looking to turn
one man’s junk into their pot of gold.
We’ve often seen this scene repeated in the backyard
sales. Seldom does a weekend go by in our community without
someone hosting a garage sale. People start at the crack of dawn
and park in the streets waiting for the host to open shop. They
want to be the first in line. They want to be the first to find that
real bargain. The anticipation of the big find motivates.
Everybody loves a bargain. And who can criticize the feeling one
gets when such a
bargain is acquired? It’s always exciting when we acquire
something that we’ve wanted or something that we value highly.
I can remember the years I played in a dance band. It
was the time when the old standards such as Stardust and
Moonglow were being replaced by the music of Fats Domino,
Bill Haley, and Elvis. Blue Monday, Rock Around the Clock, and
All Shook Up were the tunes we loved. We were the new rock
and roll generation and our music was important to us.
Owning those records was every teenager’s wish. But for
most, money was scarce and buying records was a luxury. At
times, the record shops would sell records that had been removed
from juke boxes. They were used, but to those of us who had
limited funds, finding a popular record at bargain basement
prices was exciting. Almost forty years later, these treasures are
still in my possession. One man’s junk became another man’s
treasure.
How does all this play into building a successful life?
Let’s pretend life is like that flea market or that record shop I just
described. Like these places, life displays thousands of options
from which we can choose. Each has its own price tag. Some
are high. Some are cheap. But all have some value. In the flea
market, we look carefully and pick the one item we feel will give
us the best bargain. In the record shop, I examined the choices
and picked my favorites.
In life, we should also look carefully and pick items that
help us reach our potential. They are our treasures. In the flea
market, it takes a sharp eye to pick the best deal. In life, the
same screening is needed. Unlike the record shop, life offers us
intangibles—things like our feelings, beliefs, attitudes, and
persistence to accomplish our goals. Proper use of these bargains
of life demands that we have a sharp shopper's eye.
We need to know when the most value comes from our
feelings and beliefs, and our adherence to them. We need to
understand the price we pay for a poor attitude. We need to
practice persistence in order to be able to purchase our dreams
and reach all our goals.
Winners shop in life’s flea market and find the bargain of
the day. They pick up the things that losers discard and turn
them into their own personal treasure chest.
How do you look upon life? Do you see junk or do you
see treasure?