Nov
8
2010
I Wanted To Throw Out That Broken Bookcase
Author: siggyMy wife offered two bookcases through “Freecycle”, a yahoo web site and world-wide organization. Someone was coming from an hour away to get them. I was skeptical someone would travel that far for a bookcase whose top shelf was broken (the other bookcase was fine).
The two finally came in a beat up truck. The lady did not blink when she looked at the broken bookcase. “I came from the South and was ‘dirt poor’. When something is broken, we just fix it,” she said. We also gave them an end table.
I felt humbled by her comment. I am too quick to throw away something out (???) when it is not perfect any more or needs fixing. People often get rid of perfectly good things.
There is so much waste here. I remember reading Mother Teresa would write a letter on any scrap of paper. I am so quick to throw a sheet of paper away. I am guilty too of waste.
I had a friend who made a living going through people’s junk they threw out. Freecycle’s philosophy is they want to keep things out of landfill. Someone’s junk is someone’s treasure. That lady reminded me (???) that again.
Tags: bookcase, consumerism, dirt poor, fix what's broken, Freecycle, junk is treasure, landfill, Mother Teresa, so much waste, trash
