I mentioned last week that for the first time ever, I received a notice that a charity organization was going to be collecting donations in my neighborhood. I live in a small town, and things like that aren’t as common here as they are in some larger cities.
I was so excited. Anything to help me eliminate excuses . . . and finally get rid of the stuff I had been driving around with, but kept forgetting to donate.
Of course, I put off gathering and bagging the stuff until the morning they were supposed to come, so I didn’t put out every last thing. I was frantically getting stuff together, and had to squash down the panic that kept rising in my chest.
What if?
What if there’s something here that I didn’t mean to get rid of? What if there’s a $100 bill in the pocket of these shorts? What if our washing machine breaks, we all fall in mud puddles every day before we can get it fixed, and it would have been better to keep this too-short pair of pants than to have to go naked for two weeks?
But I put it out there anyway.
And although my heart was hurting a little when I shut the door, it felt light and free when I came home from an outing and saw my totally cleared front door.
All of that clutter . . . gone.
Almost like magic!
Love this post,so very true. My husband's favorite what if…"what if I need it later".
blessings,
jilly
I did this yesterday. I gave 9 diaper boxes (like when you buy a case of diapers at one of those warehouse stores) of little boy clothes to a friend. Sizes 12 mos. through 24 mos. All seasons, swimsuits to winter coats. I did the “what-if” too but I did delight in seeing that the area in the back hall where they’d been living was now bare and ripe for sweeping. Bye-bye boy clothes. You’ll look great on your new owner! 🙂
I am a work in progress. I have to put a box in my breakfast nook, just for stuff that is being donated. When it gets full, it gets loaded into the car, for the next trip to Goodwill.
I always feel a little panicky when I hear the truck arrive and start loading things up. Typically everything that’s out there has been waiting in my garage for at least a month, so I’ve had some time to reconsider if need be. I’m usually fine once it’s officially gone, but it definitely sparks anxiety.