Pay it forward De-clutter

How often do we buy stuff that we rarely use, if ever; electronic, DIY, kitchen gadgets, far too many tubs of hand cream in the bathroom, books and magazines gathering dust? Blankets, clothing and shoes that lie wasted in our cupboards could keep someone else warm.

I was inspired by @ericvancewalton’s post Pay it forward for the holidays to do just that.

I quote from Eric’s post:

What I propose, if you can spare it, is to invest $20 in the goodness of humanity. You can use this $20 to help someone you know or a stranger you cross paths with. Pay someone's bill in a restaurant, buy a homeless person a hot meal, or simply hand someone a twenty dollar bill and say Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays or whichever Holiday Greeting you prefer. It's easy to forget that each of us are fighting a battle every day and, despite appearances, we have no idea what kind of struggles others are going through.

So the holidays are long gone, but what my husband and I did was to give friends who had been going through deep waters a mini breakaway in our bnb guest unit that everyone calls the honeymoon suite. We made it real special by giving them VIP treatment – flowers, wine, chocolates and snacks, plus theatre tickets.

They felt like royalty, said it was a real treat after a year filled with much trepidation, and they went back home feeling refreshed and full of hope.

So how can we all Pay it forward very easily?

What I propose is that you look around your neighbourhood; find a shelter for the homeless, a retirement centre, children’s home or any other charity and donate those items I spoke about that you no longer have use for.

The phrase ‘one man’s rubbish is another man’s gold’ really is so very true!

I remembered how we used to collect stuff for a church fete many moons ago – we handed out black garbage bags with a sad face on it each week asking for different items - stuff like used clothes, blankets, household goods, books, toiletries, stationary and so forth to be used either in the white elephant stall or as Tombola prizes.

Anyone remember how excited you were as a child when playing Tombola, your eyes fixed on that one big prize?

These garbage bags really worked well, as that bag had to be placed in a prominent spot in the house so that the whole family could check their cupboards and start filling the empty bag; kind of a pay it forward to yourself at the same time as it’s a real positive way to de-clutter.

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How good does it feel after organizing that cupboard that was overflowing and now has so much space, one almost feels lighter not so! Plus the added bonus that someone will be using that gadget that's been lying at the bottom of the pile or someone else will be feeling a little warmer tonight with that old blanket that's been gathering dust.

Something else we can do is to:

Practice Random Acts of Kindness
And Senseless Acts of Beauty

Ann Herbert

I believe we can all do simple things that cost nothing, a smile or a willing ear can help those who have lost purpose in life.
With kindness and compassion you can rekindle their faith in humanity, a reminder of the good things in life, and thus bring out the best in people.

Original Content by @lizelle
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