In the past few months we have seen two good sets of friends move away. The Kittrells (a family of 5) moved on their own and we helped them move boxes on the day the truck came. Soon after, our friends Maggie and Todd moved. Seeing Maggie giving stuff away in the last month and seeing how much stuff the Kittrells had (just life stuff, not that they live in excess) has really hit a nerve with me and I have been in clean out mode ever since. I am not doing anything major, but just every time I look in a drawer and realize that I haven't used something in over a year, I add it to the pile. The Women's Club is having a consignment sale and I hope to make a little money off the pile soon enough.
Being in throw away mode, combined with living in an apartment has also had an effect on my purchasing. Recently I saw something I really liked at a store, but because limited space in our apartment and "the pile" were in the back of my mind, I decided not to buy it. Living in a small (but perfectly adequate) space makes you stop and think about your purchases and how necessary they really are. I think if people lived in smaller places, rather than huge houses, the perception that America is a "consumer capital" might change. And really, did you even know you needed that knick-knack before you happened to see it in the store?
Along with seeing Maggie give things away, she also gave away a lot of cooking supplies (which I was happy to take off her hands). So many things she had been saving for that special moment, and then soon enough she was already packing for the States and didn't have time to use them. I fully understood her situation because I have done the same thing too. In the first year we were here I brought back things I missed from home, such as microwaveable Mac & Cheese, Jiffy cornbread mix, diced green chilis, pudding mix, Double Stuff Oreos and a few other things. I waited so long to use them, saving them for the day when I was really craving them, that by the time I went to use them they had expired and I had to throw them away! Funny enough, after being here three years I really don't bring much back anymore. I think saving the food can be related to many things in life (using your china, wearing your nice dress, putting on that special perfume) that we only save for special moments, when really we should view every day spent with loved ones as a special moment. So Maggie has inspired me and I have been using all those things that used to only be reserved for special days.
If I Had My Life To Live Over Again by Erma Bombeck.
Someone asked me the other day, if I had my life to live over again would I change anything.
My answer was no, but then I thought about it and changed my mind.
If I had my life to live over again I would have waxed less and listened more.
Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy and complaining about
the shadow over my feet, I'd have cherished every minute of it and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was to be my only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.
I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.
I would have invited friends over to dinner if the carpet was stained and the sofa faded.
I would have eaten popcorn in the "good" living room and worried less about the dirt when the fireplace was lit.
I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.
I would have burnt the pink candle sculptured like a rose before it melted while being stored.
I would have sat cross-legged on the lawn with my children and never worried about grass stains.
I would have cried and laughed less while watching television....and more while watching real life.
I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband which I took for granted.
I would have eaten less cottage cheese and more ice cream.
I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren't there for a day.
I would never have bought ANYTHING because it was practical/wouldn't show soil/guaranteed to last a lifetime.
When my child kissed me impetuously, I would never have said "Later, now, go get washed up for dinner."
There would have been more I love yous......more I'm sorrys......more I'm listenings....
but mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute of it.... look at it and really see it......try it on..... live it ....exhaust it....and never give that minute back until there was nothing left of it.
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