Creature Feature - Here Fishy, Fishy, Fishy
This is a story about fishing for fun finds, and never missing an opportunity.
Lately, I find myself taking regular trips to our local Goodwill here in Santa Barbara, and discovering how many treasures are hiding there. Usually I visit antique shops and garage sales to hunt for interesting items, however I have found that in this town you can find the most amazing things in every corner.
One of my recent finds was on one of those days that I ran out to drop off some donations, but could not resist going in and taking a peek. I love looking for items that can be transformed or be brought back to life, and of course the unique little trinkets that you will never see anyplace else.
I found my gold fishy friend, photographed above, that day. In fact there were two matching little gold fishes in the Goodwill that day. I thought to myself, oh having two would be great to display on shelves, or use as book ends, but a las I left the second fish there, and have regretted it ever since. So many times in life we ignore that little voice inside, and I am learning to always follow that voice and never look back. So now, moving forward, when I see that $2 find that I know I will not see again - I will seize the day (and look for a storage container, while I am at it!)
Here are my tips for visiting Goodwill:
1. Avoid the busy times.
If you visit on off times, you are more likely to get to the piece that was just put out, or has not been moved around so much that you cannot find it.
2. Look past the junk. This is a challenging one for me. Often times I take that long glance around and become overwhelmed by all the junk surrounding me, but if you can put on the blinders and stay focused you may find that amazing piece of furniture to bring back to life or a special little finishing touch you have been looking for.
3. Take your time and go through everything twice. This is important because you are bound to miss things in amongst all the clutter, but if you take a couple of passes, new things will come to the forefront that perhaps you did not see at first glance. Funny, when I think about it, this advice also crosses over to wine - always taste twice - as you will find so many new aromas and flavors that second go around.
Finally if you see something you really love - buy it - because guaranteed if you do not, you will always think about the one that got away.
Happy Hunting!
