What You Give is What You Get

Hello dear readers . . . I sure have been scarce in the blogosphere this spring.   But you see, I am still SPPing — sorting, purging and packing.

My mermaid sister Nora spent four days with me last week, helping me to whip things into shape around here.   I really don't think I could have made it through all the emotional landmines without her.   She helped me to sort through all of my dad's things that we had put in the closet after he died.  I filled a bin of memorabilia (and labeled it!) for my son and granddaughter and gave some things away to Nora's kids (my dad was like a grandfather to them).  I gave away his Coast Guard dress uniforms to a local theatre group for costumes.  I felt so guilty about not wanting to keep them, but they were large and bulky.  Nora suggested a theatre group, and it was done.  Hooray!

Christine Kane has a great blog post today about decluttering.  I just had to laugh as I read about the things she says to "toss out right now" since I just finished tossing out many of the things on her list.  Breadmaker, anyone?  Ancient hand-crocheted doilies (or in my case, bad oil paintings by a long-gone aunt)?  A box of old cassette tapes? (I don't even have a cassette player anymore!)

That's what I'm doing, you see — using this opportunity of moving and downsizing to Get! Rid! of! Stuff! and organize the rest.   I am becoming the Queen of Labels.  I just labeled one storage bin  "Power Outage Supplies" and filled it with flashlights, batteries, candles and matches, a plug-in old-fashioned phone that works without electricity, and a small radio with batteries.  All the necessities in one place.  I feel inordinately proud of myself!

Another decision I made was not to hold a moving sale.  After thinking about the time it would take to organize and hold the sale and comparing it to the potential income, I decided I'd rather give things away.  So I sent out a group email to local friends, made a few phone calls and put it out on the island grapevine.   Wowie zowie, did they ever come.  Books mysteriously disappeared.  Twenty years worth of magazines like SageWoman, Beltane Papers and Circle went quickly. (Never fear, I kept a copy of every magazine that featured my art or articles.  Several boxes worth.)  Stained glass supplies. Office supplies. Old altar stuff. Kitchen stuff.  All kinds of stuff. Poof! Gone.

I'm making deposits in the Bank of Good Karma and getting a high return.  As people came over to sort through my books, magazines and other odds 'n ends, they started offering to take leftovers to Goodwill, to pack my car full of boxes to take to the new house, to sort and stack all the paper recycling at the curb, and to make runs to the dump with their trucks!  I couldn't believe it. 

"What you give is what you get," says Sister Nora Laughs-a-Lot Mermaid with her serene, all-knowing smile.

Most definitely!

Comments

[Heidikins]

Nora is a wise woman...I can see her smiling face saying that very same thing to me...
Iam glad to read the move is going well, even if it is time consuming.

[Nora]

Here is to celebrating Queendom of Labeling! Praise is due to my beloved husband whom I once thought an "obsessive labeler" however, so many times cords and unknowns have been clearly determined by his devout identification techniques. Joanna, you have done an amazing job purging and labeling and several of your friends value the opportunity to assist you and haul away the stuff that fills our homes...So truly, you gave so much to your sisters, they were all happy to give to you in return with dump runs, and book removal, etc....Yeah baby, the gift you give is truly the gift you get and your account balance in the cosmic bank of good karma is ringing up with a nice cha ching! You worked hard, the results are yours!Keep on working it!

[Lunaea]

Power outage box is a great idea. I think I would add a warm pair of socks (because I probably am not wearing any when the power goes out), a cozy book with large candle-friendly print, and of course, some chocolate. :-)

[Laura]

Where did your old magazines go? Did you give them away to people, or to an organization? I have quite a stack too and am thinking I don't want to have to store them forever.

[joanna]

Hi Laura,

Almost all of the old Goddess/pagan magazines went to younger friends who found them fascinating and exciting. The art magazines, Natl Geographics and Smithsonians that were leftover went to a used bookstore in town.

I think it's a matter of putting out the word -- and they will come!