From Trash to Treasure
“One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”
As most of you know, it is indeed possible to find treasure in the most unexpected places. Especially when you’re willing to take the time to really look.
One Man’s Trash
Quite a few years ago Mrs. MZM and I temporarily moved to Kalamazoo, Michigan so I could take an engineering job in a chemical plant for a few months. Since we knew we’d be there only a short time (maybe 6 months? who knew?), we decided to keep the apartment furnishings to a minimum. I mean, why spend money we’d never get back, y’know?
Anyway, after moving in, we drove around town, just sorta getting’ the lay of the land, so to speak. Suddenly Mrs. MZM pointed off to the right and said, “Pull up over there!”. I immediately executed a tire-screeching Bat-Turn safe, totally legal and non-life-threatening u-turn to the indicated spot.
Right in front of us was a large dumpster. I looked at her in disbelief and thought to myself, surely she couldn’t mean–?
But I was wrong.
Years ago I knew a guy who rode a trash collection truck to earn money for college. He used to regale us with tales of the many treasures he found every day – bowling balls, stacks of records (you remember vinyl LP records, don’t you?), perfectly good clothes of all sorts – you name it. I was always amazed at what folks will throw away, y’know?
Well, memories of that fellow came back to me now as I realized Mrs. MZM wanted me to take a look at something in that dumpster. Now, had I still been a kid, I’d have no problem, y’know? But hey, I’m an adult now! Adults don’t do this sort of thing! (Besides, it was probably filled with all manner of icky stuff, not to mention little creepy crawly critters, to boot!)
All this and more scampered briefly through my brain as I climbed out of the car and approached the rusty metal behemoth. It was one of those enclosed types with a partially opened sliding door in its side. That’s where Mrs. MZM pointed. “There’s a lamp shade right there close to that opening. Just reach in and grab it – let’s see what it looks like.”
Poised to make a quick getaway (just in case a rat, a snake, or y’know, a slime-covered tentacle reached for me), I tremulously latched onto the aforementioned shade and gave an admittedly hesitant little pull. It didn’t budge. I tried again, a little bit harder this time, and felt it give a bit. Finally I took a deep breath, threw caution to the winds, and grabbed it with both hands. Exerting a mighty heave, I stumbled backwards with my hard-won prize and was rewarded with – an entire lamp!
Another Man’s Treasure
And wow, what a treasure! Well, it’s not that it turned out to be genuine Waterford crystal or anything, but it certainly was pretty. I was astonished somebody would throw away a perfectly good and serviceable lamp like that. (And yes, it worked perfectly!)
As I returned to the car with my loot, Mrs. MZM couldn’t help the lightly smug “I told you so” expression, and rightly so. Our little treasure turned out to be far better than either of us had expected.
Funny how that saying can be so true, isn’t it: One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Over the years, I’ve encountered countless instances just like this of how a piece of junk turned into something wonderful. In fact, we have a perfectly good antique clock on our shelf to prove it. Sometimes you have to clean things up a bit – but sometimes not.
To tell you the truth, the only difference between an object’s being trash or treasure is not necessarily in where you find it. Nope; it’s in how you look at it. So it sorta begs the question, doesn’t it?
What surprising little treasures have you been missing because you haven’t taken the time to really look?
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13 responses so far
Middle Zone Musings is a comfortable place to stop, have a cup of coffee, swap a few stories and share practical ideas for the real world. I don't ask for much, just a bit of your brain every now and then. Have a seat, take a load off, and relax...
It’s all in the eye of the beholder, isn’t it Robert?
Robert, I had a friend whose Dad collected junk. It was quite embarrassing to my friend growing up that his Dad’s job was hauling around trash in an old truck but that junk made the man a millionaire. Talk about treasure from trash! As I read I could not help but bow my head and give thanks as I was reminded that God sees the treasure where there is a heap of icky mess.
We also have folks who work the trash routes just ahead of the collectors. I actually like it – kind of last ditch recycling. When things have some potential value folks around here have a tendency to put them on top of the trash can or to the side to make sure it gets seen in case it somehow has value.
Robert, thanks for the good good reminder to look past appearances (and/or look past our initial impressions).
@Robyn – That’s the key to it, that’s true. But you can always take it to the next level and try to see the beauty someone else might see, don’cha think?
@Karen – I’m grateful God knows how to make treasure out of “icky stuff”, too. No tellin’ where I’d be otherwise!
@Fred – I wish more folks would do that with stuff they know others might like. Make things a whole lot easier!
@Paul – You’re welcome, Paul, and a tip o’ the hat to ya!
You are right. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. I found a baby crib on the side of the road and sold it for money. People throw away all kinds of valuable stuff.
Been there done that on both parts. I’ve thrown out things that were fine but were now in the trash category for me. We stopped that practice as much as possible now.
My wife is a sharp one about donating to AMVETS and Good Will. We’ve even donated furniture, clothes, and more to churches and such.
Likewise, though sometimes I hate dragging myself out for them, I’ve found the coolest stuff at garage sales and flee markets. Stuff that someone thinks is junk.
Greatest find in the last couple of years though is the Big Ass Indie Art Fair in St. Louis. Most of the crafters there are upcycle and recycle experts. They take bits and pieces, things not even whole junk items and fashion out jewelry, clothes, and art. Some of the coolest work I’ve seen.
Now I’m on the lookout for more goodies to donate to their efforts. Myself, I’m collecting soda bottle caps. The project? Unspecified but I have a vision of turning them into art vs heaping on the trash pile.
Thanks for this great post.
Tojosan
@Carico – Ain’t it the truth, Bubba!
@Todd – Sounds like a great way to recycle junk, Todd. I’ve see my share of “junk art”, too. What Mrs. MZM is particularly good at is visualizing what some bit of “trash” can truly look like with a little effort. Amazing!
I completely agree with you. One man’s trash another man’ treasure. When clothes, shoes or anything get old, people throw them away, however for people who have nothing, it seems like new. Thanks for sharing this post with us.