It’s Not Free

REFLECTIONS

It’s Not Free

By Jack Applebaum, CMA

I knew a great biker whose fellow riders gave him the nickname of “Sally”. I was told that the nickname was a slight twist on the word “sale” since this guy always wanted to stop at yard sales. To me, he was a kindred spirit as I also have a penchant for going out early on Saturday mornings to see random stuff that people have thrown out on their lawns. Often, the ridiculously low prices (I carry a container full of quarters) combined with my Scottish and Jewish genetics make some of the offerings almost irresistible. For me, yard sale-ing (sailing?) is a form of entertainment as I seek out these sales from poorly made signs, find the places, decide whether to stop, and, perhaps, discover some small treasure that might have otherwise been lost to time.

And then, there’s the “Free” box. I’m now seeing more of those at yard sales, filled with stuff that apparently couldn’t even garner a quarter, but the owner may think is just too good to toss. As the decades have rolled by, I’ve found that none of this stuff is free. Without being too analytical, getting any of this stuff took some time, gas, money, and wear and tear on my bike. A motorcycle is, for me, a great way to go yard sailing as it tends to restrict what I can get (I can always return with my truck…) and is more maneuverable on streets filled with badly parked cars at the sale. Once bought, that thing that I got for a quarter again took some of my time and space in my home. To be reasonable, that thing did bring me some enjoyment, for a while, but it seldom lasts.

There’s a lesson in all of this somewhere. Between the seekers and the sellers, and the things and the quarters, I’ve found only a few things in my life that have real value and can last. Freedom is expensive. Virtually all who have served in our military (I didn’t) can tell you that, and it’s something we remember with a sharp focus at the end of May each year. My relationship with God through Jesus is incredibly expensive, and is, fortunately, a price that I don’t have to pay – that’s why we celebrate Easter each year. Jesus said “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? 37 For what can a man give in return for his soul?” (Mark 8:36-37)

For me, Saturday mornings are occasionally spent looking for small bargains. Sunday mornings have been spent at churches that welcome bikers and love seeing motorcycles in their parking lots. No matter the vehicle that I drive, I almost always find myself taking away a lot more – intrinsically – on a Sunday morning from a church than on a Saturday morning from a yard sale.

Jack