Emily’s Musings

I sold a lot of junk this morning. Really, it was JUNK by USA standards, but “PURE AWESOME STUFF!” by Saba standards. It feels good to clean out my house and de-clutter my life.

A few days ago, a cute little lady (who I will not name because maybe she wants to remain secret, and MAYBE I can’t remember her name which she has told me a thousand times . . . ) who works at one of the grocery stores stopped me and asked if I would be selling any hot pads at the garage sale. Hot pads? She wanted to buy my old used hot pads? I felt sick to my stomach that this lady, who works in a grocery store where they ACTUALLY SELL HOT PADS, wanted to buy my old ones. The locals on this island are really the salt of the earth. I realize that no matter how much time I spend on this island, I probably won’t ever have the same mindset they do about conservation, going without, and making due with what you have.

After our conversation, where she also told me, “DON’T THROW NOTHING AWAY!!!” I pulled out all my good towels, good sheets (which of course are at least 500 thread count) and most certainly HOT PADS to give specifically to her. I also put a TON of items (like clothing, baby stuff, heath and beauty stuff, you know, STUFF) into several garbage bags to give to the locals. I was absolutely shocked when some women were rummaging through the bag of beauty items and they asked me what EVERY ITEM WAS. LIKE THEY HAD NEVER SEEN OR HEARD OF IT.

“What are these?”, um . . . toe spacers for when you paint your toes . . .

“Is this for your hands?” No, that would be FACE CREAM. It’s not La Mer, but it is VERY GOOD.

“What do you do with this?” It is hair gel. I OBVIOUSLY couldn’t live without this PARTICULAR GEL, so I brought down 16 bottles. BECAUSE I THOUGHT I WOULD DIE WITHOUT PROPER HAIR CARE PRODUCTS. Since I have 10 bottles left, you can see how much I used it here.

“Can you use gel as conditioner?” That would be a BIG FAT NO.

I felt so bad for these women. How could they have lived all this time without ever going to a proper salon? How could they really know the joy of life without ever experiencing a spa pedicure (which I indulged in two days ago thanks to my thoughtful husband who gave it to me as a Mother’s Day gift LAST YEAR) or manicure, or full body massage or facial?

As the sale continued (it was a blow out sale. Start to finish was 90 minutes) I had a girl buy my barely worn, hardly used, almost straight out of the box hiking boots. She didn’t try them on to see how they felt, or IF THEY EVEN FIT. She just bought them. She also picked up several pairs of David’s shorts (from a free pile of stuff) for her husband. I’m not sure her husband is the same size, but they don’t seem to care about fit. Clothing covers your body. What else do you need from your clothes? Fashion? No. Comfort? No. Proper fit? No.

Today, I found myself thinking about my upbringing in America. I am very particular. I don’t just care if my shoes are the right size, but I care how they feel and what they look like. This thought process is most certainly from being raised in a country where people have expectations, standards, and MONEY. Most of the people on this island are quite poor and don’t have access to anything. Shoes are not really available to buy, neither is clothing, or books, beauty products, or electronics. They live such a simple life, and really, they seem so happy with their uncomplicated life.

I hope to return to the states more well rounded, and happier with what I have. This island has taught me a lot (like REALLY UGLY CURTAINS can become not so ugly after two years) and I really hope to incorporate the simplicity of the Saba lifestyle in to the complicated, fast, and busy lifestyle I know awaits me at home.