Getting To The Point Where I Can...Just Let It Go

 Years ago I picked up the iMac G4 from a friend. I remember him working on it and he told me he was getting rid of it. I told him I wanted it. He obliged. I remember firing it up a few times...I thought I could use it as a writing desktop computer. 

Plus, I wanted it because it's such a cool piece of art.

I never owned a G4 iMac. They were too expensive. And, truth be told, they were not (in my not so professional opinion...) not up to snuff at that time to other desktops. I worked on Macs back in the late 1980s and I loved them. Then I didn't get another Mac for many years. When my friend offered us his Mac, I thought it would look cool in my office.

The problem was, it sat in the basement, never used.

So, I thought I'd sell it at our yard sale. There had to be people out there who appreciated a classic computer as much as I did. Turns out...not so much. One guy thought it was great and checked it out, but no one else even gave it a second thought. When it became apparent it wasn't going to sell, we thought about donating it to a thrift store.

One problem...

We needed to reset it to factory settings.

Turns out, if you don't have the original CDs that came with the computer, it's impossible. I had to make a choice...return it to the basement and most likely never have it out again, or throw it away. I know it's an old Mac, not worth much money. I know for relatively little money, you can buy a Macintosh computer that does so much more than the G4. Still, we were sad we'd have to dump it.

Maybe it's because I'm getting older. I've collected too much stuff over the years. Maybe it's because I have fewer years ahead of me than I have behind me. Whatever the reason I was able to do something I would never have done years ago. I snapped a couple of photos of the iMac G4--once the pride and joy of the Apple line--and placed it in the garbage can. 

It's still out there, along with other things we didn't sell and didn't think the thrift store would want or need. On Friday, the big garbage truck will drive by, stop briefly, and dump the trash. The iMac will tumble in, never to be used again. God's speed little computer. Looks like I'm ready to just let go of something after all.

I Love Thrift Stores...But This One Not So Much

 You move to a new town...a town where you've never lived. You look around, check things out. You see where things are, stores, shops, parks, city offices, fairgrounds. Moving from a a major metropolitan center to a town of a few thousand people can be an adjustment. There's no sushi places, no movie theaters, no Costco.

But, there's a thrift store...

Sort of.

I mean, it's a real store, and yesterday--for the first time--after trying to enter the store for six months, I actually opened the doors and went inside. One of the first stores I visited when we moved was the thrift store on Main. It was locked, and when I returned and tried again, I was always locked. I even called the phone number and no one ever answered. I wondered if it was just a storage place for someone and they were selling things on-line.

The past couple of times I'd driven by, I thought things looked different so yesterday I parked in front of the store. I saw a couple actually enter the store. I got out of the car and followed them in.

Over the years I've been in a lot of thrift stores. We're lucky in our area to have some run by the LDS church. They're big and clean and, for the most part, organized. These are words I would not use to describe the thrift store I visited yesterday. In short, it didn't feel like the place had the walk-in customer's interests as its first priority. It had stuff, but a lot I couldn't even reach because of things on the floor. And, there was a sign at the register desk that said basically, "Cash Only."

Now, I only have my observations to go by. I have no idea of who owns the business, or what issues they are dealing with, so I don't want to judge too harshly. But, as a business concern, it's pretty rough.

Thrift stores pay an important part of a community. They're places people can go who can't afford new things. They're also a place for people to donate things they no longer need. In my opinion, they're win-win situations, something this--and all--communities need.