Gifting or giving away

It has been a busy week sorting out things I no longer need. I am a great believer in recycling and like to give away those items I no longer need or have a use for. I generally use the Freecycle groups but this time there have been no takers. However I have found other groups so I am hoping that what I have to give away or gift, someone is out there to receive it. But I get many comments about this asking why I am not selling these items but giving them away. I know what it is like to have very little money so I am happy to help others and see what I give away as a gift.

But this brings me to something else about giving away and money. Many years ago when I first became a Reiki Master Teacher I checked out the current level of charges for this. I was amazed at some of the excessive prices charged and the advertising about someone’s teaching being better than another. For me Reiki was and still is a gift, one I am willing to share with others freely. But I still get ‘flack’ from others about this saying that I can charge for my time and get money that way. It is not about money! Healing energy is not about money at all. I have this gift and I wish to share it freely and when I trained Master Teachers myself I always chose students who have what I considered to be an ethical attitude. I remember looking at a web site some years ago and there were so many different kinds of Reiki  all charging a specific sum of money for a distant attunement and a manual. To me that kind of teaching is not teaching at all but this topic can take me down a different road so I will stop there and get back to the giving away theme.

Is it better to give something away to someone who needs it or to throw it away in the rubbish? Our rubbish tips are full of unwanted items so recycling them has to be good. Is it better for me to give away these items now or store them until after I have gone someone else throws them away?

Spring cleaning

It is that time of the year when my mother used to spring clean the house. Curtains were washed, carpets cleaned and all surfaces cleaned and items no longer needed given away. Everywhere felt so much fresher afterwards and we were ready for new projects.

I suppose I am spring cleaning as I am sorting out items to keep and items to throw or give away. I have done well so far with giving away 3 items of furniture no longer needed. This has given me a bit more space so I can start to pack for my house move. I live in a small bungalow with very little space as I have a lot of books and craft items. Packing these is fine but where do I put the boxes? So questions I am asking myself are many. Do I really need to keep these copies of ceremonies from the 1990s? Do I need to keep old emails from people who are no longer with us? Do I really need to keep all these books and maps?

So how do I decide on what to keep and what to throw away or give to someone else? I have culled my books and maps drastically over the last few years as I have moved into ever smaller places so books and maps are not really a problem. The ones I still have are the ones I need to keep. But as my son says, I do have a lot of stuff. But that is because I have hobbies, I write, I read, I draw and paint, I knit and embroider and weave. All this takes space however much information I can keep on a computer I still need space for craft items. One thing I have learned about saving stuff on computers like family history is that you still need a hard copy just in case and I prefer to work on paper where family and local history is concerned.

So my spring project is to sort and pack ready to move to pastures new but also pastures old as I am returning to my place of birth and where I lived for over 30 years. But I feel better about the sorting out. It is leaving space for new things so I shall soon have as much as I always did!

How do you deal with all the things you collect for your hobbies?

Time for change

The weather is changing quite rapidly now. The mornings are chilly and storms are approaching. I noticed that some of the leaves on the trees are now changing to a golden colour. The plants are dying down and the butterflies disappearing although the bees are still busy on the fading lavender bush.

We are moving to a quieter time of the year when we can sit and contemplate what we have done during the year and take time to replenish our spirits as well as our larders. For me this year is a time of big change as I have to move house again. The move is enabling me to sort and clear items I no longer use. Although I have been doing this over the last two years I am being more ruthless and finding new homes for many items. Recycling at its best. Why do we collect so much in our homes? Is it the instinct to collect items especially food so that we will not starve if we are cut off in storms? But that does not explain the collecting of items such as books. I love books but this time round I have decided to give away many of my books to others who will enjoy reading them. As long as everything finds a good home then all is well with my world. What can you give away to others for them to enjoy? What can you share with others?