✨Taming wooly mammoths...and that perfect thrift shop find✨

"The single most powerful pattern I have noticed is that successful people find value in unexpected places." ~ Peter Thiel

Happy National Thrift Shop Day!

Finding value in unexpected places is like going to a good thrift shop. It's this magic portal to a world of eclectic items that would never find their way to each other anywhere else.

Need a glass vase, a used copy of a New York Times bestseller from three years ago, a collection of random ribbons, and a cute pair of barely worn sandals, and only pay ten dollars for it all?

Thrift shop.

Heck, yeah.

I recently bought this amazing skirt from my local farmers market (another of my favorite places to shop). It's white and flowy and has this gorgeous built-in belt. The only problem was that I didn't have anything in my wardrobe to go with it.

Rude.

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So I headed to the thrift store. After perusing the racks for a while and filling my arms with "potentials," I found the most perfect olive green top. It's a lightweight jacket that has subtle ruffles and large, round buttons, and it hits at just the right spot to allow the belt detail on my skirt to be seen.

It was just seven dollars.

And it fit like it was made for me.

Sold!

I now want to wear that outfit every day for the rest of my life.

Or until I find something I like even better. Probably from that same thrift shop.

I sometimes forget that some of my favorite pieces in my wardrobe - the ones that are well and truly me - are ones I've thrifted. I can buy a brand new sweater from the store and wear it to work only to find someone else has the exact same sweater. While I'll joke about being twinsies and even selfie with my like-minded coworker, I'll usually tuck that sweater away and rarely wear it again, even if I originally adored it.

I'm weird that way.

But my thrift store finds are often one-of-a-kind. Unique. Perfectly me. No one has the same top or the same skirt or the same dress. I feel confident that this look is mine and mine alone.

And I wouldn't have found those items if I hadn't taken the time to look.

So often, we overlook things that hold value simply because they're not new and shiny. They don't have a high price tag or you don't find them in the "fashionable" places.

And if you thought I was only talking about clothes, you've got another think coming.

Just as some of my favorite articles of clothing have come from unexpected places, so have some of my favorite people. They're the ones who I deem "characters." They're weird and quirky and unique. They're unapologetically themselves. They live life in a way only they can live.

Some would call them "authentic" or strange. Uncool. Outsiders. Even rejects.

I call them my role models. Inspiration. Individuals I strive to emulate in my own quirky and unique way.

It may not be the cool thing to do. Freeing myself from the mistaken belief that fitting in is the only way to go may result in being shunned or excluded. It may result in losing relationships or giving up what I've always known. It's scary. And hard. And overwhelming at times.

But it's worth it.

Because being true to yourself, whether in appearance or personality, can bring true happiness and joy. A freedom that grants peace to your soul. A smile to your face.

Finding what makes you unique, one-of-a-kind, and perfectly you in the way only you can be will be the most rewarding thing you've ever done.

You just have to take the time and the courage to look.

Can you tame a baby mammoth? Truthtaker takes place in the Ice Age. This means there are all sorts of megafauna - saber-tooth cats, wooly rhinos, primitive horses, bear-sized beavers...and wooly mammoths. The only such creatures the people of New London and surrounding areas associate with are muskoxen, which are highly prized for their meat and the fine wool produced from their undercoat. Sure, there are those who seek fame and fortune by pursuing the gigantic beasts that roam the wilds, but for the most part, people and mammoths don't mix. But the other day, I started wondering...what if... What if someone came across a baby mammoth alone in the hunting fields? What if that baby mammoth needed a herd and latched onto this person? What if this resulted in a strong bond that continued as this baby mammoth grew? What would that look like? What would people think? What problems could arise from this? Oh, my gosh. I now want to write this story. Or maybe incorporate it into the next book in this world. A domesticated mammoth. Maybe on the lam...wreaking havoc while seeking its master... How cool would that be?!

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Keep chasing your dreams and slaying your dragons, my friends. I believe in you.

Love, Lysandra James

Coming soon... Truthtaker by Lysandra James Regency culture in an ice age environment. Magic that drives men mad. Secrets that could unravel society. Truth that can’t be…Revealed. Coming December 2025. Subscribers will be the first to know when and where Truthtaker will be available. If you haven't done so already, subscribe now. And share with others. Let's spread the love! Notify me!