Donate your stuff

I have moved a lot in my life. My parents were in the military when I was younger, so we bounced around quite a bit.  One thing  (of the many) my mother taught us was that when you get rid of stuff, you donate it.  A couple times a year the diabetes association would call and tell her they were having donation pick ups in our area and ask if she had anything to contribute. We would go through our old clothes that no longer fit and our toys we no longer used, put the items in a bag and leave them on the front porch for pick up.  During times when there were no pick ups, mom would drive us to a second hand shop and we would dropp it off there. My grandmother always said “waste no, want not”.

In the last 6 years I’ve moved four times and have learned several valuable lessons in this regard.

The More Stuff You Have, The More Stuff You Have Holding You Back

·      Most of the time storage is expensive and lets face it, who really wants to pay money to not see or be able to use their own belongings.  I did for a year and a half and you know what I realized at the end of it? Most of it I didn’t need or even notice was missing. When packing your things, get rid of what you don’t need or care about. The result will be a smaller and more affordable storage space.

·      Moving boxes are also expensive and sometimes a waste. Ask around and see if a friend or neighbor has some old ones kicking around. If not check out a local store and ask if they have any old boxes you can have.

·      Moving is often done by weight or cube size, therefore you basically pay for the amount of stuff you have. So the less you have, the less it will cost you. Remember if you are moving yourself you have to factor in the cost of gas.

·      If your friends are your movers don’t think you are off the hook. They will remember that time they lugged load after load up the flight of stairs, but what are friends for right?!

If It’s Free, It’s For Me

·      This is most peoples attitude towards free anything (well almost). Go through your things. If it doesn’t fit, you don’t like it, use it, need it or have multiples of it, donate it.

·      Family and Close Friends-donate to these people first, they are the ones that love and support you and will scrape you off the ground if you face plant into it. They are deserving and have probably donated to you at some point in the past. Ask them if they want the items you were iffy about letting go of . The things you really like but just don’t have room or use for. If you do this, you will know those items are going to a good home and may even see them being appreciated from time to time.

·      Second Hand Shops and Charities - Donate the items your family and friends do not want or need to these locations. Some donations to charity qualify for tax receipt so remember to ask if your not sure.

·      The Streets- If you live in a concentrated area with lots of foot traffic and you want to spread the love. Grab a box, make a simple sign that reads FREE, place your items in it and stick it outside. You would be amazed at how little will be left for garbage day. Just remember to clean up after and don’t put your items out when its windy or raining.

Keep the things you really truly care about . With less of the other stuff around cluttering your life up, it may be easier to see, appreciate or use them.

Once again, I’m moving soon. A short move this time but none the less I did the purge.  I donated to my sister, friends and the streets.  Sometimes its hard to give your things away, pick a day when your in the right mood. Once its done you’ll feel great about it. 

There’s Lead in Your Lipstick

I purchased this book for the first time on my way to Newfoundland last summer. I thought it would be nice to read while camping in Gros Morne National Park. I was far too busy to even start it! So for a couple of months it was tossed around in the trunk. I began reading in the fall, I was shocked, and even horrified in some cases. Within a month I had switched ~80% of my cosmetic and personnel care products from toxic to environmentally and human friendly ones. It took me another couple of months to get to ~95%.

I read, I re-read, I told my friends, I told my co-workers, I used it for a daily safety meeting topic at work, I bought it (as well as products recommended within) as Christmas presents and finally I donated my original vacation battered copy to my sister. She recently informed me that it is so beaten up she is thinking of dismantling the remainder of the book and posting the recipes on the insides of her cupboards!

You may not currently know or care about the contents of the personal care products you use, but this book just may be the thing to change your mind.

Desiderate- "You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars"

When I was a child my dad read me Desiderata by Max Ehrmann. I fell in Love! It seemed as though all the life lessons my parents were trying to communicate to me were wrapped up into one poem and put on paper before my very eyes. So I would like to start the blog by posting this poem that means so much to me. I hope that others will read and love it. You never know, it just may inspire you to become a better version of yourself, just as it reminds me to try and be a better version of myself. 

 

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and ignorant; they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be critical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy.

Max Ehrmann