The Shop That Sells Nothing…

Daily writing prompt
If you were going to open up a shop, what would you sell?

Now this is a tough one.

Because, truth be told, opening a shop is the last thing I’d ever want to do. Shops mean transactions. Price tags. Plastic shelves full of items we don’t need but somehow buy anyway. Honestly, in my head, we were better off without them. I’m more into the barter system, a dozen eggs for a loaf of bread, a jar of honey for a few kind words, maybe a back rub in exchange for mending a torn jacket. You know, the old ways. The human ways.

It’s easy for me to say that, I suppose, I live in a rural community where you can still trade apples for advice or swap homegrown veg for a hand with the hedge. But even when I lived in more “normal” places, I felt like the shops were selling stuff to fill a hole that things could never really fill. My outlook’s changed. Capitalism lost its charm. I don’t want to push product, I want to nourish soul.

But okay, if I had to open a shop…

It’d be a little crooked cottage tucked off a dirt road. No sign. No menu. People would just know. I’d sell stories and time. Real conversations, hand-written notes, poems for your pain and maybe a laugh for your trouble. A hot drink if you’re cold. A warm look if you feel invisible. And you could pay with a memory. Or a seed. Or a song.

It wouldn’t be a shop, really. It’d be a place to remember we’re human.

So no, I don’t want to open a shop.

But if I did…
It would sell nothing and give everything.

Mae 🧡


Comments

25 responses to “The Shop That Sells Nothing…”

  1. Joey Jones Avatar
    Joey Jones

    I see you, Mae

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Beautiful house.

    Liked by 1 person

      1. Welcome dear.

        Liked by 1 person

  3. I love this, Mae. I recently had a young man come do some work for me…I was surprised when he would rather barter than take money. I had things I no longer used or needed and he could use them. It worked out great. Bartering works for me.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. That is the way I like to do it as well

      Liked by 2 people

    2. That’s brilliant, Mags! There’s something so refreshing about bartering; it feels more personal, like an exchange of trust and goodwill rather than just a transaction. Sounds like you both walked away richer in the ways that matter. xx
      🧡

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Yes, we did.

        Liked by 1 person

  4. A wonderful idea, … yes, it’ll bring time to remember we’re human, …💫

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Absolutely. Sometimes it’s those simple exchanges that remind us we’re not just rushing through life, we’re here to connect, share, and be human together. 🧡

      Liked by 1 person

  5. Oh how I would love to visit a shop like that, Mae :)

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Me too, Jean! 😊 I think shops like that would have a magic all their own, full of character and stories, just waiting to be found.
      🧡

      Like

  6. Bartering, today, seems to be (almost) impossible, and yet it somehow seems so natural and must be so mutually satisfying.

    I would be more than happy to exchange an English language lesson for a massage. Anyone in my area interested?

    Liked by 2 people

    1. It really does feel like the most natural thing, doesn’t it? A fair swap where both people walk away feeling valued. Just like in Mags comment. And your offer sounds like a win-win, Tony. I hope someone takes up on it ! 🧡

      Liked by 1 person

      1. We live in hope! 😉

        Liked by 1 person

      2. 😂🧡😂🧡

        Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you! I’m glad the details came through. It’s often the little things that make a story come alive. 🧡

      Like

  7. It wouldn’t be a shop, really. It’d be a place to remember we’re human. – Then it will be an emotional library with you as its librarian! :)

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I love that idea! 🧡 An emotional library sounds like the perfect place, and I’d be honored to be its librarian.

      Like

  8. Joey Jones Avatar
    Joey Jones

    Everything okay?

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Hi Joey, all good here. Just revisiting things that need to be said. Hard to revisit, but such is life 🧡 Thank you for asking xx

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Joey Jones Avatar
        Joey Jones

        I’ve missed you the last day or two xx

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Thank you.. Its been busy 🧡

        Liked by 1 person

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