Hugging the Midline

I Heart Free Stuff

So, are you on Freecycle? If you're not, you really should be. It's an online message board in your community where you post things you're looking to give away or hoping to get. In the six months or so since I joined I've given away a couple breast pumps that were on their last legs, an ancient computer, and various odds and ends, all of which were just taking up space in my house, and would be doubtful to have much if any resale value.

Today a family hauled away the musty old shed that otherwise our contractor would have demolished and sent to the landfill as we're making way for our new garage. When I mentioned that I was going to give it away, our contractor was surprised that anyone would want it, but I actually had half a dozen people interested in it, and a couple of them had really compelling stories (this family lost three sheds full of recreation gear on their river lot during the recent Iowa flooding); I wish I had more than one shed to give away. 

Last week I posted a request for some purple coneflower, and ended up being invited to dig up my pick of plants from a local woman's beautiful but overcrowded perennial garden. I came home with a couple boxes full of transplants, an armful of fresh basil, and an invitation to attend a weekly summer garden tour in town.

Outside of Freecycle, of course there's the tried-and-true "leave-it-on-the-curb" method, which Glen and I used to amazing success after cleaning out the shed last night. It turns out there's a hot market for rusty lawn chairs and grody old camping equipment in Fairfield. 

And last but not even close to least, Jack is blessed by an amazing wardrobe made up almost entirely of his friend Theo's hand-me-downs, which he then passes on to his cousin Dane when he's done wearing them.

I love this sharing of stuff in every way. There's the thriftiness aspect, for sure. My head spins when I think of how much money we save on clothes for Jack, and how much I would have had to spend to buy those same flowers from a garden center. I love the mini-connections I've made with people I've shared with, the positive environmental impact, and the beautiful synchronicity when something I would have trashed turns out to be a real treasure to another family.

GratefulMo Wrap-Up

It's been pretty quiet around this blog since I wrote my most recent gratitude post. Gratitude has remained a central theme in my life, but I've been meeting myself coming and going at both home and work for the last week or so, and haven't made the time until tonight to sit down and wrap GratefulMo up with the little bow it deserves.

Regular readers probably noticed a pretty consistent theme to my gratitude postings: I'm most grateful for family, safety, comfort, harmony, the simple joys of our everyday routines. This cozy little family life is clearly in such marked contrast to the news from elsewhere in Iowa lately where many people have lost loved ones and homes and businesses to the tornadoes and floods that have ravaged our state.

It goes without saying that these calamitous events have reminded me to appreciate my many blessings. I've also been thinking lately that it doesn't seem quite adequate just to count my blessings; the best way for me to demonstrate my gratitude is to share my blessings with others. We're not a rich family by any means, but I'm grateful that we have a few extra dollars we can share with those who need our help. I've also found lately that it feels good to experiment with giving more. We've always given a small amount each month, but I've sometimes been a little stingier than I want to be. I like stretching to see if we can give until it hurts just a little bit.

With that in mind, if you're interested in helping Iowans in need, here are a couple organizations that could use the help:

• American Red Cross - I've read lately that their disaster relief fund is in bad shape and really needs our help (of course, this fund helps not just Iowans, but people affected by natural disasters around the world)
• Iowa Artists Relief - Thanks to Heather for spreading the word about this fund to help Iowa artists and musicians who have lost equipment, tools, portfolios, studios, everything these self-employed artists need to sustain their livelihood.

I've also wanted to practice gratitude as a family, so at dinner time each night we've started sharing things we're grateful for. Of course, Jack doesn't quite understand the concept, and has taken to responding to the question, "Jack, what are you grateful for?" with the same answer he hears his almost-twelve-year-old sister Jo give to most questions: "Nuffing!"

I couldn't be more grateful for the children in my life who keep me on my toes and always remind me not to take myself too seriously. 

God Bless the Bypass

Plenty of blessings to count today:

14. I got a rental car over the weekend, so I'm no longer trapped in the house, and was able to head to Des Moines for work today.



15. The new Ottumwa bypass shaved 10-15 minutes off of my drive to Des Moines. Double that for the round trip, and multiply that by 52. I'm no math genius, but I think I just saved myself 26 hours a year! Which I will probably spend glued in front of the computer reading other people's blogs. There are so many good ones out there, and they're a bit addictive. Like Living in Small Sizes, another Fairfield blog that I discovered over the weekend. Actually, they posted a couple comments on my site, which lead me to check out their site. They've been blogging for a while; I can't believe I've lived in Fairfield for two years and am just now discovering them.



16. A couple months ago my friend Kelly introduced me to On the Go Books, a Netflix-like service for books on CD. Listening to books is a great way to spend my weekly trips to Des Moines. Today I finished Bill Clinton's book, Giving, which I've been listening to off and on over the course of the last few weeks, and which has gotten me thinking about my family's giving practices. We've always donated a small amount every month; listening to Clinton's book inspired me to give up my beloved daily Diet Pepsi, and instead add that money each month to our donations (of course, I still order the biggest DP Burger King can legally sell me before I head to Des Moines; I'm no saint!). One cool organization the book got me excited about was Kiva, which lets you lend money to a specific entrepreneur in the developing world. I like knowing exactly where my money is going, and not feeling like it's just going to cover administrative costs at some large charity. Last month we gave to a woman in Nigeria who has a small soft drink stand and wants to increase the size of her business. After she repays the money, I can either get my contribution back or lend it to someone else. Great organization and inspiring book.



17. This may sound funny, but I'm grateful for the writer's strike. I love lounging around in front of the TV with my honey, but I get a lot less writing done that way. (Although I hope the strike is settled in time for the new season of Lost.)