Goodwill for 2023.

The day before New Year’s Eve I was in the Salvation Army store on Tryon Road in Raleigh and I asked the manager if they needed any volunteers. Apparently, New Year’s Eve is the busiest day of the year for them, as it’s the last day for tax-deductible donations.

The next morning, I was slipping in the back door at 8:30am. The lights were on in the storefront, but the main doors were locked and no one was around.

The ceiling pennants reminded me of Tibet.

Finding the receiving dock and back rooms similarly empty, I made my way two flights down to the basement where the real action of the day was going to take place.

The belly of the beast.

For both morning and afternoon, I got to know the various staff, including regulars, seasonal volunteers (like myself), and community service workers. It was a magical day. Seriously. I loved it.

My man Rodney working the forklift.

“Keep It Moving” is the Salvation Army mantra.

Gospel and R&B comprised the soundtrack for the day.

I re-acquainted myself with palette jacks and the baler (I wasn’t really supposed to use the baler). I loaded furniture onto F-150s. I helped jumpstart a rather loud customer’s car in the pouring rain.

Pre-sorting for Mr. Charlie.

I was wondering where that guy had gone.

We’re definitely in the Bible Belt.

Alot of this kind of nonsense.

The satisfying feeling of matching a pair of shoes. Every Jack must have his Jill!

We sold six filing cabinets in one day. Talk about keeping it moving!

And I managed some select finds for myself totalling $4.99 (plus tax).

A wool/synthetic blend sweater from Deus motorcycles (I used to lived near their shop in Sydney) and the perfect Carhartt jacket for garden and farm work.

Scored.

A 100% wool blanket.

Do you know the proper way to wrap yourself in a wool blanket for sleep?

And a soft sleeping tee and a copy of Thoreau for the bedside/bagside.

I went to the woods because I wanted to live deliberately. But not without some decent gear.

I’ve now known both the mouth-hole and the ***hole of the beast that is consumer culture. The waste is immense at the source (China) as well as at the destination (the US).

Poster design for the launch of Fash Ex, a communal closet for used clothing I founded in Shanghai in 2022.

I’m implicated in the existence of that beast.

My own consumer purchases for outdoor life are split between high-end brands bought when living in Sydney: (Arc’teryx, Mystery Ranch, Rab), high quality knock-offs from China: (Naturehike, Fire Maple, HK Outdoor), and factory samples/overstock found cheaply in China: (Keen, Gerber, Marmot).

American thrift store finds are now being added to list.

Thrift stores are terrific for finding:

1. Wool sweaters (1980s cashmere sweaters are gold).
2. Wool blankets.
3. Aluminum/steel water bottles (No need to buy a new Klean Kanteen).
4. Plastic water bottles (No need to buy a new Nalgene).
5. Cookware.
6. Jeans.
7. Carhartt work clothes.
8. Polyester base layers.
9. Brita filters (You can DIY your own water filter jug).
10. Bike racks.
11. Tarps.
12. Mini pillows.
13. Silk/lyocell linens (Sew your own pillowcase for a camping pillow).
14. Fumble bags.
15. Rucksacks.
16. Various gear bags and boxes for organization.

(Oh, I also swiped a blanket from Korean Air on the way back from China because they were daring me to.)

Saying this to an ex-vangelical will only result in its being removed.

I’m not seduced by suburban or urban life anymore. It’s true that it’s a fun place to visit. But I don’t want to live here anymore. So my Dover Thift Edition Thoreau and I are headed west.

But in that I still feel myself divided. One path beckoning is something of a monastic one… giving up most possessions and the need to think and plan so much. Giving up on survival and just going completely with the flow (one which seems to be circling the drain as we head into 2023). The other path beckoning is one I’d call “prepper-lite”. Or “nomadic prepper”. For now, that’s the one that seems more interesting.

Let’s see how things develop this year.