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| Not my tree... |
So, the Christmas tree.
Solutions are often easy, but we don't realize it. We complicate things way beyond what is necessary. Is it human nature that makes us do this? We will hold back from doing what is likely the right thing for everyone because we're afraid it will help someone we don't like. We will destroy or throw away something we couldn't make money from rather than give it away.
Joe DeRozier doesn't do that, by the way. If he has leftover donuts for whatever reason, he makes sure someone gets to enjoy them. Just saying.
Do you have too many good, usable clothes, but you still like new ones? Simple. For every item you buy, donate two.
Did you replace your towels because they weren't fluffy anymore but you don't need the garage rags you used to make from old ones? Donate the old ones. (Unless they look disgusting. Donating things that are nasty is just...nasty.)
Do you have things you don't really want anymore but they belonged to your mother so you can't just give them away? Sure you can. Your mother didn't want them saved for posterity. She wanted them to be loved and used, and it doesn't have to be done by you. Want to make sure your kids remember them? Take pictures.
It's easy to buy an extra box of cereal or some extra canned goods at the grocery store and drop them off in a bounty box or at a food pantry. It's easy, once you've read a book, to put it in a Little Free Library. It's easy to give away an old comforter when you buy a new one. It's easy to share, especially if you're sharing things you don't even want.
It's easy, I guess, to be a Christmas tree in the darkness. Have a good week. Be nice to somebody.
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So very true great read
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteGreat reminders Liz! This article motivated me to do all those things! I'm sure many readers will feel the same way.
ReplyDeleteI hope so. I wish I did them all the time, too. Sigh.
DeleteWhat a lovely, thoughtful post. Sometimes we don't realize or appreciate how much we have.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jana. I'm glad when I remind myself, too--I one who forgets to appreciate.
DeleteYou are spot on with this post Liz. Too often I forget to share all the things I have been blessed with but simply do not use or need anymore. And it's still hard to part with the beautiful things left to me by my mother but don't use.
ReplyDeleteOh, it is hard! I still have things of Mom's and my mother-in-law's that I can't let go.
DeleteGood ideas but you have to overcome the inertia that keeps you from asking whether you still use/want/need something first. Once I can do that, the giving falls into place but I tend to do it like a tsunami, start sorting and giving in a big burst and then rest again in inactivity! You always give me something to think about!
ReplyDeleteI am so guilty of that, too. Plus, like someone else mentioned, Goodwill isn't a place of choice for me, and it's hard to find other places nearby that need what I have. Thank you!
DeleteA couple of alternative outlets:
Delete- Peru St. Vincent de Paul
- Harvesting Capabilities
Any suggestion on where to buy motivation? (Hah!)
Good alternatives. Thank you for them. And if I knew that, Helen, I'd be a star customer and hand out coupons to other people who needed it. Lol.
DeleteI love the idea of taking pictures of things that you want to remember. I am in the process of throwing away a lot of older things that I thought I needed. Keeping my husband but not all of the cards from over 50 years
ReplyDeleteI've done that, too. I usually keep them for a while and look at them several times (he's a great card-chooser), then let them go.
DeleteWe're in the process of downsizing, and being able to donate things that are still in great shape is bringing me joy. And I'm definitely working on taking lots of photos; memories are great, but I don't need so much "stuff."
ReplyDeleteIt does bring joy, doesn't it? I wish I was better at keeping up with it!
DeleteLiz--I'm with you on Goodwill. I hear they just bundle the stuff and it doesn't really seem to go where it's supposed to. I found a new church thrift store in town that takes almost everything. We've already taken three carloads to them. It is nice to think about my things having a second life with someone else who will get some pleasure out of them, plus it will help the church and helps me to clear away things I no longer use. You definitely are a Christmas tree to us!
ReplyDelete