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The time that we spent living in India taught me that we can live, and live happily, with a lot less stuff.  As a result, I have spent much of the last year and a half gathering things that we no longer need, and making plans to get rid of them. The reasons why I haven’t been disposing of items as I come across them vary, but most start with an L and end with –azy.

This spring brought with it a renewed interest in getting rid of this stuff.  Although I was pretty certain that it was all ready to go, the fact that none of it has been touched in a year and a half has solidified that perception.  So I set about getting it out of the house. Given that most items are in good shape, I decided to Freecycle the bulk of the stuff.  I wouldn’t have to deal with the hassles of online selling, would be reasonably certain that someone wouldn’t be profiting of off my goods, and would keep these still useful items out of the landfill.

The problem is, people say that they WANT my free stuff, but then they don’t come when they say they will, or, as has been the case with almost every item that I have posted, they just plain never come at all.  No explanation, no apology, no show. It makes giving stuff away a very frustrating experience.  The worst part of all is that I can’t even get all pissy with the no-shows, even though I really want to, given that I have given these people my address to ensure that they can come and get the stuff.

So I sit and grumble as I wait for yet another pick-up that is an hour late.  I rushed home so that I would be here when they said they would be.  My children miss out on their tuck-ins, as I am sure that the person will be here any minute, and the only thing worse than a missed tuck-in is an aborted one. I’m cranky.  So if you are looking for a stroller, a bedrail, a stairmaster, or an entertainment cabinet, you better come when you say you will, or they will be at the curb on Friday morning, when I am certain that the garbage truck will cart them away.  For free.

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