Maybe, junk is a solution to division and isolation in society.
The annual Trash N’ Treasure town-wide yard sale day in Vankleek Hill is as much of a study in community as it is of an excuse to clean out the basement or garage and make a few bucks off the unwanted items—or an excuse to spend more money on things we suddenly think we need.
The stuff for sale told a story, and the sellers shared the stories with the browsers and buyers. A woman said she was happy to be getting rid of a series of mismatched beer glasses her son had left at her house. A man tried to sell a light fixture he had removed from his house while his mother-in-law promoted a console stereo from the 1950s to the same browser. At another place, there were two green Coleman camping lanterns, probably lit up long ago at family or Boy Scout campsites. While the board games for sale at many other locations may have been played in the light of those lanterns. A toy cash register indicated children once played “store.” Could they have possibly gone on to work in a real store, or own a retail business?
A walk around town really did indicate Trash N’ Treasure is a social event with a multitude of objects as the foundation of the day’s conversations. It had the atmosphere of a community picnic or street party with the attraction of a big yard sale. It presented a perfect opportunity to catch up with friends and neighbours and to buy things they did not want anymore.
As proof we are not all greedy capitalists or unrestrained in our consumer spending, a spirit of helping others and community benefit was evident at Trash N’ Treasure. Vankleek Hill Baptist Church raised more than $1,000 to release people in Pakistan from what is essentially slavery. Knox Presbyterian Church, St-Grégoire Parish, and St. Jude School kept us all fed with hot dogs and home baking. Arbor Gallery sold board games and puzzles. The Vankleek Hill Curling Club let visitors to its sale try the game on a special, non-ice outdoor rink. Readers stocked up on new-to-them books at the Champlain Library Book Sale.
There is a lot of division and hurt in this world right now. There are also a lot of lonely people. There is ignorance, intolerance, and disrespect everywhere. It does not take long to see or hear it in conversation, through a quick glance at television news, or at what gets shared on social media.
A day based on buying and selling used stuff is a good way to lessen some of the division and bring people together. Old junk clearly creates a happy community.
