FreeCycle Freedom
So I just discovered the beauty of having other people remove baggage from my life.
I looked around a few weeks ago and started mentally inventorying all of this stuff in our house. It’s just Stuff. We don’t use it. It sits there for Someday and when Someday rolls around it usually means that I’m just dusting it rather than actually using it.
Then I discovered FreeCycle.
Okay well I didn’t discover it. I knew about it. I heard it was quite handy. It’s just that it always seemed like such a giant pain in the ass to me to have to post stuff and then monitor who wanted what and when they would get it and blah, blah, blah. My internal default setting tends toward the antisocial side - to the point of often preferring to come home on a Friday after work and not see another soul until I’m back at work on Monday (though I rarely do because I realize it’s not really a healthy thing to be such a hermit). I often don’t even answer the phone even when I know who is calling and anticipate that a conversation with that person might be fun. So the idea of having electronic communications with strangers and then having to SEE them in PERSON had less than zero appeal. As Jean-Paul Satre wrote, “Hell is other people.” And I often think he had a point. I’m just sayin’…
But then I broke. As I mentally tallied all of the items sitting around our house waiting for their next dusting, I finally cracked. I posted something on FreeCycle. There were several responses, a quick arrangement for pickup by an interested individual, a flawless transfer of goods, and low and behold, I am left with not just one, but TWO whole shelves in my home with nothing on them. I have SPACE. I feel lighter, happier, more peaceful. And the interaction with the interested party? Not bad. Not bat at all. I am pleasantly surprised. And my interested party feels like she won a giant prize. That makes me happy.
But now I think I also might be addicted.
I just posted about five other things - sort of big things - things that have taken up prime real estate in our garage for about four years now. Things that actually don’t really fit into either of our cars. Already I’ve had numerous responses (and this is in less than 16 hours since I posted this stuff). And if all goes as planned via multiple emails already exchanged, that real estate in our garage could be newfound space within the next 72 hours or so. The mere thought makes me giddy. But it also makes me rack my brain for other items I could part with. Do we really NEED all of those books? I’ve already read them. And that furniture in the guest room? I mean, it’s not like we often have overnight guests, right? And you know, those cats just like to eat the plants and puke. Wouldn’t somebody else want to have that joy?
Believe me, I realize this can go too far. And I’m doing my best to keep it under control. (And no, I would never seriously think about trying to give the kitties away EVER.) But I have to admit, this downsizing process is wildly liberating to me.
Now what about those old guitars…
First dibs on the guitars!
It IS fantastic! It’s awesome because you get to clean out, but the stuff still gets used. It’s not going to a landfill. Somebody who really wants it gets to have it, so it’s even better than donating it to Good Will or something (which also has its place, don’t get me wrong). But with big items, especially, it’s nice to know that someone else is really going to use the item, and they are usually super-excited about it!
Yahoo…before you post the books I would love a chance to go through them…I love books…I know I have 1000 to read but I am just addicted…i also promise not to give them back but to pay them forward…who knows maybe through freecycle.