treasure box

my foraging days at the thrift store began back in college days when i had little to no money to spare. over the years i have found great clothes, shoes, dishes, a DOWN comforter, and furniture. i love the smell of a thrift store. there is a musty sort of odor. i've never been in one that smells any different. i love the people who work there. they mostly seem to have had a rough existence and i feel a kindred spirit. about 6 years ago i found a fabulous gold 60's chair in great condition. $25. i was so proud of my chair. i told everyone who sat in it how much it cost and where it came from. the color of the chair went really well with my orangish loveseats. a couple of weeks ago, the legs on the chair bit the dust. my husband, who is very handy, could not even repair the chair. sadness. we've moved it up to the boys room, because it SO looks like a dorm/boy/bachelor pad chair now. what to do. no chair. i moved some stuff around and put one of our ikea poang chairs in it's place. it was okay, but not an amazing chair! on saturday i went to do some christmas shopping and decided to stop by the local goodwill. what i love about thrifting is that you go with a certain something in mind and leave with nothing you planned to buy! while walking through the back of the store down the aisles of dishes, i did a quick glance over the furniture and there it was. a beautiful, perfect condition, greenish/blue (my colors now) chair. could i be so fortunate? another chair at the thrift store? i went over to check it out. no dirt. i lifted the cushion. heavy. old. nice square shape. i looked at the tag. custom upholstered at shillitos. now, i'm not from cincinnati, but i do know that shillitos was a local department store that went out of business in the late 70's (according to my husband). this chair sat in someone's house and was never sat in. someone loved this chair and kept it in the living room covered in plastic. and now it was at my goodwill. i sat in it. i picked it up and checked the springs. perfect. i looked at the price. $36. i asked a worker to put a hold tag on it for me. i went to pay and this is where the heavens opened up and angels sang. 50% off all furniture day. $18. i loaded it up and brought it home. i sighed. i kept looking at it in the rearview mirror. my new, cheap, perfect chair. i know, i know. it's just a chair. but sometimes, when things of this nature happen i feel that maybe, just maybe there is someone looking out for me. giving me a little gift in the midst of my chaotic life. a sign. that i am loved. so it may be just a chair gracing my living room but to me it is my sweet treasure found in the midst of other unwanteds waiting to be found.