One Man's Trash

There is a reason why I prefer to work side-by-side with my clients and this picture is one beautiful example of my biggest reason.

When I work side-by-side with my clients we are emptying small areas at a time, sorting like with like, making decisions on what stays and what goes, and then putting all the keepers back in an organized fashion. After working with a client for a few sessions I can usually do a good job of guessing what a client will want to keep and what they will want to get out of their house. I only do so if given permission.

One particular day I was working with a client who was a blast to work with, had a healthy detachment with more things than not (her favorite bed spread had seen better days and she did not have to be convinced to let it go). We happened to be working in her daughter's things and I was beginning to see a pattern of what she liked (or what her daughter liked) and what she didn't. Having been given the permission, I was tossing/donating things alongside of her. Then we got to this one headband that I thought for sure was destined for the trash. I mean, there were googley eyes on it. Surely it was a one-time fun craft that happened to make it into the hair accessories.

Nope. I was dead-wrong. Well, I was half-wrong. I was perfectly correct in that it was a craft made for a fun spirit day. I was highly mistaken that it was destined for the trash. This headband wasn't going anywhere. This headband was beloved. This headband stayed put with the hair accessories. And in the back of my mind I may have thought, "hmm, I wonder when this will be worn again." (Some of you reading that will immediately read judgement into those words. Let me rest your little minds, no judgement. It was a true wonder.)

Well much to my delight I was checking out the LRSO IG feed and stories and came across this client's day. A cute picture with a puppy. A picture of her sweet daughter doing a big swing. A picture of her sweet daughter getting ready to delight in a mall pretzel.

And, wait, go back. What is that on her head? That can't be! It is! That sweet girl is wearing THAT headband! And it wasn't spirit day, it was just another day out with her mom. Well, well, well. It didn't take long for that headband to make it's way out of the house again and I'm tickled that she enjoys it so much!

So if you ever wonder WHY I like to work side-by-side with my clients, it's because I can't actually read anyone's mind even if I might look really good at it sometimes. I ask a million questions to get my clients to make their best decision and sometimes I do throw in a "will you really give this book to that person or will it just sit on this table for 3 more months?" (Again, a true question, no judgement.)

*my client gave me permission to post this photo