We all know the frustration of painstakingly laundering and neatly bagging up our items for our local consignment shops.

We go with high hopes of a decent amount of cash to line our pockets, or trade so that we can shop around and feed our shopping addictions.

Leaving feeling defeated as we realize our items are just not up to par; apparently one man’s trash isn’t always another man’s treasure. Our ego is deflated and we lug the heavy bags back to our car. We are pretty much leaving with what we came with.

Wasted trip, wasted energy.

I didn’t get anything out of that.

What about freeing yourself from this exhausting cycle we get into?

It’s ingrained in our human nature to always want to get back what we give: What can you do for me? How much will you pay me? What will you trade me?

My favorite part about being so involved in vintage clothing and thrift store culture is cleaning out my closets and drawers of all of the extra clothes I don’t need, don’t wear and dropping them off at the Goodwill or Salvation Army.

Quick, easy, liberating. No hassle, no haggling, no business deals. It’s a good cause—just giving them away to those in need is the best payback.

Sometimes, just giving without worrying about getting anything back is the most liberating experience ever.

The age old karma factor: what goes around comes around.

It will come back to you eventually, just not in the instant gratification way we often hope for, or maybe not in the form of a material thing such as money or a  hipster hoodie or pre-owned wingtips.

What we get back when we give is simply the gratifying feeling of giving.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2J73Rc4gnYM

Angela Melissa Diaz is a self-proclaimed  ecofashionista and thrift store/vintage clothing junkie with Pittsburgh as her stomping ground. She’s writing for the ecofashion and wellness sections of elephant as well as bringing her social butterfly skills to the social media team. If you cannot get in touch with her via any forms of technology, she’s teaching, or on her yoga mat flowing through vinyasas at 90 plus degrees. She’s studying for her certification in health and wellness counseling and hopes to save the world from bad food choices and stagnant lifestyles while reminding everyone to breathe and laugh as much as possible. You can reach her at [email protected] or find her on Facebook.

Like elephant Ecofashion on Facebook.