Downsizing

Vanessa, Laurel and I had a garage sale this weekend.  I had 3 big tubs of stuff that I sorted out and decided I didn't need.  It felt so good to get rid of some of the excess that we, as Americans, tend to have.  

Last weekend, while I lounged by the pool in Dallas with Jenna I was reading through Real Simple and they had an article on recycling and donating used goods.  They listed these two places to donate glasses and shoes.  We have so much stuff in our lives, it so often clouds what we really need to be focusing on.  Many of the things that I purged were things in perfectly good condition, but that I just don't use anymore for whatever reason.  Maybe I wanted a newer lamp, or the shirt shrunk in the wash, or I wanted new shoes.  Whatever the reason behind it, I am living in excess.  So, maybe the challenge should be not only to purge some of the excess and pass them along to people who have genuine need, but also to really think about and consider the things that we buy so that we aren't constantly living in excess.