Freecycling

No, it is not cycling for free! i came across this wonderful network when i was searching for books that i could buy cheap and an article suggested i could try this network.

i quote from the site: "The Freecycle Network™ is made up of 4,880 groups with 6,926,000 members across the globe. It's a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. It's all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills."

Now, my motive for joining the network was less about saving the environment and more about getting books - and books i can never resist. And free books, that is like dangling a piece of meat before a famished bitch, i mean dog! i searched the group i have joined to see if any books were on offer. There were but they had all been snapped up. So i waited and watched, parked in front of my inbox eagerly waiting for any mail with book in the subject. i finally got one and i replied and got an answer in the positive. It was mentioned i would need a car when i go to collect the books which made my heart sing because it means there are many books. i asked him, very nicely, if he could please drive me to get the books. He said yes. And so, this Sunday we are going to go get the books. i cannot wait for Sunday.

i come from a family of hoarders. My sister hoards clothes like she would be asked to clothe the whole of Ethiopia someday. My mother hoards polythene bags. i hoard books and memories. i have always found it hard to give up things - you think maybe you will need it someday and that day never comes but you still keep it, forgotten in some corner, gathering dust. Once a year, i used to tame the hoarding genes and give away my clothes to the maid. But that was all.

Looking at people offering things because they don't need them anymore and they want someone else to use them instead of holding on to them, i find it motivating. i do have the hang-up of small-minded people of turning my nose up at hand-me-downs (but not when it comes to books!). It is so refreshing to see people offering all kinds of things (clothes, tea bags, TV, et etc) and people taking them without any reservation.

i hope to shed the false pride and take something on offer if i need it. i also hope to murder my hoarding genes and offer things i no longer need so somebody else can put better use to it.

If you find a group in your city, join it. If you have something you don't need anymore, offer it to someone who would be grateful to give it a new home. If you find something on offer that you need, have no qualms about taking it.

The site is freecycle.org.