31 Oct News from Experienced Goods November 2022
Serendipity. Kismet. Destiny. Coincidence. A moment in time that stops you in your tracks and takes your breath away with the wonder of it. If you believe in deities, you might see the hand of a god or goddess at work in your life. If you don’t, then you might feel yourself briefly stepping into perfect synchronicity with the universe.
I had a moment like that a few weeks ago at Experienced Goods. I had come back to work after a week’s staycation, during which I completed all sorts of yard and household chores, like planting garlic in the garden and cleaning my outdoor gas grill. On the last day before returning to the shop I was cutting back a stubborn patch of goldenrod in my yard when I felt my lower back tweak with a sharp pain. Thinking myself invincible, I stretched a little and kept working. An hour later I was hobbling and barely able to put my gardening tools away. The spasm in my lower back caused me to walk bent slightly to the right, so the muscles on the left side of my body started to seize up and hurt. I took some ibuprofen and spent the evening snuggled up to a heating pad, which helped somewhat and allowed me to sleep. The next day at work I was telling my tale of woe to my co-worker Imelda, who suggested I get a massage from Libby Garofalo, whom I worked with at Experienced Goods many years ago when we had first moved to 77 Flat Street. Libby is wonderful: Kind and always good humored, a strong, warm, gentle person. She was the clothing manager then, and was also going to massage school. Fifteen years later she has a busy practice and is almost always booked far in advance. A massage from Libby would definitely be the ticket, but I needed it immediately, not in January.
So here’s the serendipity part: 15 minutes before closing time that day, Libby walked in to the shop. She had not been to Experienced Goods in months, had never been to the new store at 80 Flat Street. But there she was, looking for a button-down shirt. We had one of those “Oh my goodness, I was just talking about you!” moments, and I asked her about the possibility of getting a massage from her in the next few days. As I suspected, she was booked into the beginning of next year. But as we were exchanging contact information, she looked at her calendar and said, “Oh wait, I had a cancellation tomorrow afternoon! Can you come at 3?” Incredible.
We see this kind of coincidence and perfect timing at the shop all the time, in lots of little ways. It might be someone finding their dream wedding dress for $25, or the exact small kitchen appliance they were about to spend too much money for on Amazon. A chance conversation with a stranger might result in a budding friendship, romance or business relationship. One of my favorites recently was the woman who came up to the front desk with a trombone that had been for sale for weeks. She thought to buy it for her son but had no idea how to tell if it was in playable shape. Suddenly the man behind her in line pipes up with, “I’m a professional trombonist, let me take a look at it”. WHAT?!? How does that happen? It was clear he was telling the truth as he explained the functions of the valves and slide and other parts, and declared the instrument in good condition and very playable. She walked away with a nice trombone, and we got to witness a tiny miracle.
I’ve always thought of Experienced Goods as a magnet for the slightly miraculous and magical, maybe because objects and books and clothing finding new life and purpose with new owners is inherently hopeful. In early November we celebrate Dia De Los Muertos, the Day of The Dead, to keep the memories of lost loved ones alive, and we leave notes and small talismans on an altar to honor their spirits. Do these acts generate magic of a sort? Maybe, if comfort and transformation are a kind of real magic. My back is healed, a process that started with a wonderful massage from Libby, and seeing her that day at the shop feels like the universe giving me a taste of that magic. So the next time you walk through the doors of Experienced Goods, think serendipity, destiny, being in the right place at the right time. You may walk out with your most magical find yet.
-Jennie Reichman