I managed today to give away some more of my possessions. It can be more work than you might think.
Sometimes I set them out on the curb, where they run the risk of getting rained upon. Sometimes I haul them off, box by box, to a local thrift shop run by a charity of whom I approve (Hi, Noah's Ark and Cat's Meow!), that runs the local animal shelter, and does so very well.
And sometimes I do Freecycle.
I've had varying experiences with Freecycle, but none have been bad (and if you think you don't have a local Freecycle webpage; go check again - if we've got one here, I expect just about everybody has one within reasonable driving range).
The worst that happens is the people don't show, or endlessly postpone, or don't get back to you when you work out the appointment. That's been my experience. Some people just have forgotten that it's polite to answer even if you're canceling out, apparently.
That quite sucks. I'd like to make a point of saying that that's rude.
Don't keep people waiting and wondering, if you changed your mind. Just email or call or whatever, peoples; and say "I'm sorry, but I changed my mind, and I didn't want to hang you up."
Geez.
Anyway, today was a good one. I have a lot of books I'm downsizing out of my Internet bookselling business (marginal at best) and also had collected a number of assorted other interesting items (you don't really think I acquire boring items, do you, dear readers?) that I decided needed to move on to other homes.
On top of that, actual furniture. Not great furniture, but your average solid Freecycler (and note that this is different from "your average Freecycler") will likely be someone who can really use some furniture, especially solid furniture, even if it's kind of beat up, and will be happy to work with you with appreciation.
It's like fishing, in a weird sort of way, offering to give stuff away on Freecycle.
Sometimes you think you have a hook in, and then you get nothing. That's much more irritating than fishing, actually.
Other times you get a fish in who takes what you have to offer, but that's that. No real interesting interaction.
And other times, you catch a fish. I know this sounds predatory; I'm using a predatory metaphor and I understand that it doesn't work entirely.
Today's catch was a woman from Louisiana who had to leave fast, and her childhood friend from Albuquerque. Someone had given them land (south end of town, I asked where). They were going to try to make a go of it. I gathered that she'd called him for help when she had to leave. And there they were, in their little white truck.
Middle aged people. Tense, but trying very hard to be sociable. Nice people. Not stupid people, at all. I didn't pick up any bad vibes from them. Anxiety, yes. Sense of connection, yes.
They got to me. It was sweet.
They hauled off a little blanket box that my ex-business-partner's father refinished and painted in fire-engine red; a box of mostly quite nice porcelein plates and bowls that I'd been using under plants, but recently cleaned up with vinegar so they would be nice; a bunch of books (I sorted them out in sections); a highly varied set of pottery bowls that I decided needed to be in somebody else's lives because they had sad associations; a nice ranch oak bookshelf that was dogchewed at the bottom extruding corner (but that can be fixed! Just saw it off and refinish the end; this is a nice piece!), another little blond-finished bookshelf (she especially liked that one).
And my rocking chair, that I never really used much anyway, which the lady had been wanting to ask me for, but didn't feel comfortable...but actually I'd offered it up front; I just ran the whole shebang by them too fast. Had it all worked out in my head.
She was really happy to get that rocking chair.
They came, they said hi, they were nice, they took, I said goodbye, they left. On to other adventures.
We have each other's email addys. Maybe we'll hear from each other again.
Really made my day.
I think Freecycle has so much potential. If someday I actually move someplace different, I will probably leave just about everything I own here, one way or another. And then when I get to my new place, I will look for a Freecycle page. And with any kind of luck, there will be people like me there.