Yesterday afternoon, my son and his friend wanted to hold an impromptu garage sale.

“Wait for summer,” I told them. “There won’t be anyone on the street, and you only have an hour before dinner.”

But they insisted, so I let them set up TV trays on the sidewalk. They carefully displayed their toys and trinkets, while I hovered inside the screen door pretending not to watch.

First, a young guy with a hockey bag walked by and bought a plastic harmonica for $5, because the boys didn’t have change and he only had a $5 bill. Then an old man bought something. The neighbours came by, went home to get cash, and returned. A kid from down the street begged his dad for an allowance advance.

Everything on the boys’ table was labelled 25 cents, and every single shopper paid above asking price.

All of which is to say that the world is obviously a kinder, happier place than I realized. Tomorrow, we will probably solve climate change.