The Chronicles of Marna

The “40 Bags in 40 Days Challenge” of 2012 officially ended for me on Saturday at the Community Yard Sale. Here I am minding the store, hip pack clamped on for hands-free transacting.

I debated about going to all the trouble of sorting and pricing my booty from the 40 Day Challenge, but in the end I decided to donate the clothes and sell everything else.

For the minor inconvenience of slapping pre-printed price tags on my household baggage, I had a fun morning interacting with customers, friends, and neighbors, and I managed to earn a nice cash windfall. Not bad for a few hours of work.

It was beautiful weather for the Annual Earth Day Yard Sale. Held right outside the high school, the event brings in plenty of curious shoppers. For only $15, I rented a table which they delivered and set up for me.

Once again I was reminded what a wonderful institution those yard sales are. I put my unwanted junk on a table and someone excitedly picks it up and says “I’ve been looking for a _____” (fill in the blank with floor lamp, plastic ficus plant, pewter pitcher, silver-plated tray, wooden crate, chafing dish, foot locker, or monkeypod salad bowl). It happened many times that morning.

At the noon hour, the Big Brothers/Big Sisters van pulled up and we loaded our unsold items into the truck. I admit I had a hard time saying good-bye to our baby stroller. It’s 22 years old, and I logged hundreds of miles pushing my two kids in it. As a toddler, this six-foot tall guy used to insist I roll him through every mud puddle.

The final tally: 40 Bags in 40 Days. The result: a terrific sense of satisfaction, release, and accomplishment.

Marna Ashburn Krajeski is the author of HOUSEHOLD BAGGAGE: The Moving Life of a Military Wife, and HOUSEHOLD BAGGAGE HANDLERS: 56 Stories From the Hearts and Lives of Military Wives. She also blogs at www.TheHangingIndent.com and www.GreatGetTogethers.com.

Skip on over to Green Momster, a great site by a friend of mine. I wrote a guest blog with detailed instructions on how to make your own reusable produce bags!

Much like the Sailor Kissing the Nurse, there are iconic photographs that touch our hearts. When I saw this picture posted on Facebook by a high school friend, I felt it was one of those powerful and precious images. Cyndi graciously agreed to let me re-post it on my blog.

This is Cyndi’s nephew Cole and his girlfriend, Ariel, saying goodbye at the airport before they both depart to Army basic training. Ariel’s going to Ft. Jackson, SC to become a Human Resource Specialist, and Cole’s attending Infantry basic at Ft. Benning, GA. They’re both 20 years old.

That passionate embrace juxtaposed with the backpacks and the little leg kick makes it so endearing and poignant. Dubbed the “See You Later Kiss,” this photograph captures a profound mixture of youthful exuberance, sadness, love, beginnings, and selfless service.

Here’s wishing them the best in all they do.

(Photo by Cyndi Villegas of Villegas Distinctive Imagery.)

Marna Ashburn Krajeski is the author of HOUSEHOLD BAGGAGE: The Moving Life of a Military Wife, and HOUSEHOLD BAGGAGE HANDLERS: 56 Stories From the Hearts and Lives of Military Wives. She also blogs atwww.TheHangingIndent.com and www.GreatGetTogethers.com.