Trade 1: Say Hello to the Ghost Kitty!

Traded

One paperclip

Received

Ghost kitty statue

Trading partner

Marisa Lopez

Location

Woodlawn Lake Park, San Antonio, TX

Day 4. The paperclip is gone! I can't believe it, or at least Tammy didn't think anyone was going to go for this when I told her about it. So this is how it happened. Friday night. I sent cold messages to ten Facebook Marketplace sellers around San Antonio. One of them was for this adorable little ghost cat statue being sold by someone named Marisa. She said in her post that she accidentally bought a second one and didn't mean to. Marisa wrote back asking what I was even talking about. Fair question. I sent her a picture of the paperclip and explained the whole ridiculous idea.

She said she was cleaning out her stuff to post more, but she had to pass. Her daughter's birthday is coming up, and they're headed to Dallas for Sick New World. I had to look it up. It's a giant metal festival. Her daughter has great taste. What awesome parents?!

On Saturday, she messaged me back. She'd been thinking about it. She said she needed to remember her 'why' for Facebook Marketplace, and that it's all about the journey. She told me she turned me down initially because she was stressing about the trip and she was going through some stuff. I told her I'm 52. I know about going through rough stuff. This was just an off-the-wall idea I had after remembering the guy who did it on Craigslist years ago. She said she could definitely use something fun, and that the ghost statue was perfect for the trade.

So today Tammy and I headed out to meet Marisa and her husband at Woodlawn Lake Park. It was a busy Sunday afternoon at the park. There were lots of kids and parents playing. There were a bunch of people at the lake piers fishing. I was honestly a little concerned we might not find parking. We met by the basketball court. Tammy wore her purple shirt with three witches on it, which felt right for a ghost kitty trade. Marisa and her husband are genuinely great people. We made the trade. Marisa told me she might frame the paperclip. I hope you do, Marisa; I would! It's a powerful little paperclip!

After the trade, we came home with the beautiful little ghost kitty statue: a little white ghost holding a black cat. It came in a gift bag from Lowery Loving Hearts Animal Rescue. I'm not sure if she is associated with them. But if she is, then that just makes this all the more badass! Marisa left me a five-star rating, and I'll do the same for her.

So, first trade, five stars. Beautiful day at the park. Awesome ghost kitty. Actually, I should say kitties!!

One more thing from home. Before we left for the park, I took a picture of my son Atticus holding the paperclip. He said it didn't look orange at all. It was red! He says I'm color blind. Maybe lol. Looked pretty orange to me!

This is fun, but it's about way more than collecting weird stuff.

A huge thank you to Marisa. She has more than twenty listings on Facebook Marketplace right now, mostly classroom and craft supplies, and she's a five-star seller. Go check out her store and tell her the paperclip guy sent you.

The ghost kitty goes up tonight. Make me an offer. If you know someone sitting on something weird or valuable, send them my way. A share helps more than you think!