Garage Sale Sunday … a community love-fest

By on August 31, 2009 in Happiness, Relationships

I took my books and a day’s worth of smiles to The Hill Flea, a Sunday flea market newly launched in Boulder. I called it *Garage Sale Spirituality.*

First, people pay almost nothing, to get booth space on the street, and they get to test out their new business, artist work, or clean out their garage. Second, you get to practice being nice to people all day long. In the process you get to see old friends and meet new people … and trade things with other vendors.

You make up community as the day unfolds.

My goal was to give away smiles and use the day as a sort of *spiritual touchstone*. Could my interactions with people lift their day, and mine.

It worked. One reason is that Russell McDougal, the man who "moved in" with a booth next to mine was like an ADD happy child. He was forever bouncing up out of his chair to greet people, offer a bit of magic to go with their name – with a personal name acronym for each person. The name Jim became: Just Imagine Magic … and so forth. Everyone loved his Isle of View cards.

He would have them say the words "Isle of View" then respond: "I love you too!"

Surrounded by love messages and happy, smiling faces, it was easy to trade smile for smile. And the few people who stayed stuck in a frown … got a free Rapid Evolution book from me, if they showed an interest in it. They still walked away poker-faced, but I think something inside was warming up a bit.

When I gave an almost-homeless man (living in his van) a book and a hug, he simply melted. It was as if no one had given him a hug in a loooooong time.

At the end of the day, I was happy, tired, and had enough dollar bills in my pocket to enjoy dinner out with my grandson at a favorite restaurant. Then home to bed, with three dogs, and sweet dreams.

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About Alexia Parks

For more than 30 years, my writing and work has had a focus in the fields of energy, the environment, education, parenting, and communications. Recently, I was given the distinction of being the first accredited blogger at the UN Conference on Climate Change, in Bali. Author of seven books, my latest includes RAPID Evolution, a training manual for accelerated evolution. It is solution oriented: as we self-heal, we heal the world around us..

In my career, I have been a nationally syndicated columnist, New York City magazine publisher, and written for the national desk of The Washington Post. I have also served as Director of Communications for a trade association representing 100 major metropolitan daily newspapers. In 1995, I co-founded Votelink.com – the first electronic democracy website on the Internet - and continue as its president today. At its launch, Newsweek magazine called me “one of 50 people who matter most on the Net.”

You can find my books linked from http://www.rapidevolution.org/ or Amazon.

I live and work at Votelink.com

View all posts by Alexia Parks →

2 Responses to Garage Sale Sunday … a community love-fest

  1. observer August 31, 2009 at 1:33 pm #

    Thanks for sharing Alexia,

    All inclusive public love may be the most satisfying of all and heals our planet. I bet you are hooked.

    Let us daily increase in: wisdom, love, gratitude, reverence, healing, peace, joy, happiness, laughter and prosperity.

    Love and Blessings X 10,

    Ed

  2. Alexia Parks September 2, 2009 at 8:47 pm #

    Thanks Ed for this wonderful perspective. Yes, I was hooked and enjoyed spending two Sundays this way. However, I'm trading smiles on the street for a raft trip on the Colorado River soon.

    Love and Blessings X10 back,

    Alexia

    Alexia Parks, Author of RAPID Evolution, 10 Golden Rules That Guide Loving Families, An American GULAG and more. See: RapidEvolution.org