The best things I’ve bought in 2012

Today there are two eight-year-old girls over on Clinton Street not too far from my apartment, selling origami creations that they made on the stoop of their brownstone. Had I not overslept (the second day in a row) and missed the train to the beach, I would never have passed by their little operation.

I am such a sucker for all sales of this nature: the curbside lemonade stand, the Girl Scout Cookie order form, the stoop sale to raise a few bucks for the much-desired expensive toy.

Each unique creation cost a quarter. I expressed concern to the girls about wiping out their entire inventory with my reserve of quarters, intended for laundry. The assured me they could make more origami to continue their sale, if needed. My purchases include a patterned heart, a crane, and that little piece on the right side in the picture is a chopstick holder.

Spending a couple bucks in quarters to make two little girls feel like successful artists is a million times more rewarding than doing a load of laundry.