So let’s discuss here and in other circles we interact with, small and large ways we are trying to make a difference. I think the benefits might surprise us in the long and even short run.
I love this place:
http://www.repurposeproject.org/
Every community should have one.
I donate stuff there that thrift stores won't take, plus it's one of my go-to places to shop for building materials and general random stuff.
@ana we have something like that in Houston-
such a great place to find art parts, or just inspiration.
Shout out to @jsr78 & @blackandwhite & all my other H-town homies
I know garbage day in areas. I'll get my bike ride in and search for treasures. People throw out so much good stuff. I get my exercise and find good stuff. When I find stuff, if it doesn't fit in my bike. I find somewhere to hide it, behind trees and go back later with car to get it.
I found $180 Frozen doll house in great condition for my granddaughter. I found dressers that had crayons and pen ink all over. I looked online how to clean up. They look brand new now. I found tons of clothes. It's very hard to find anywhere to donate clothes to now, so people throw it out in garbage. I give clothes to people I know or donate to churches. One time I found 8 30 gallon garbage bags of clothes. There was at least 3 bags of clothes that still had tags on them. All expensive stores Victoria Secret, Hollister, Aeropostale. Clothes young people wear. My daughter took some. My friend who couldn't afford clothes for her kids took most of it. I found clothes a week before school started, it felt so good to see kids happy that they got new clothes. I find chairs, furniture, electronics, toys, house wares, etc. One time I said to myself I need to buy new mixing bowls. I found great ones a few days later, in garbage. Areas that are having neighborhood or citywide garage sales are great place to look after they end. Lots of people just leave stuff at street. It's funny cause my spirit always guides me which way to go and I always find stuff. I can find things everytime I look.
I love how you are all finding treasures through someone else’s “ junk”.
I just had the unique experience of discovering stacks of 100+ year old sheet music in a similar way. 2 boxes worth. My family has been having fun sifting through this music now for a few days. Mostly vocal pieces but a few piano.
The stories this music could tell.
We have a Taken N Leave in our town that is so extensive and famous it once made the New York Times. It started out as a messy dump with heaps of toys and housewares amidst broken glass, but it has evolved into an outdoor covered free supermarket, with volunteers organizing the drop-offs. Our North Carolina cousins, always make a point of spending the night on their way home from Maine each summer just so they can go there. (We are grateful to the Take N Leave for getting to see them).
Our kitchen is loaded with Take N Leave dishes, cuttlery, fry pans, and all those gimmicky holiday gifts that people barely use. The best part is that you can just take it home and if you don't like it, you just bring it back, no charge. Like that crepe maker and the bread machine.
We almost had marriage blow up once, though, when I was rummaging through the Take-N-Leave Video box and I found old videos I'd taken of our kids when they were little...at the Take N Leave! Then there was the hidden treasures, like the $20,000 cash stuffed in a hollowed out book that someone picked up at the book drop, which is right next to the Take N Leave. He turned it in and everyone waited for the true owner to show up. They never did, so the guy who found the money, a minimum wage caregiver, got to keep it, fair and square.
One must never throw away family videos, especially without spousal consent. That is grounds for divorce, everyone knows that! Haha
Good for the worker who found the money! That is a fantastic story!!
I love the idea of trying out a new find for awhile and if it doesn’t work out, no problem, just drop it off again. And for a book, read it and return it.
You could find vases for a dinner party or wedding reception, use them for the event and then return them. If grandkids are coming for a visit one could find a few toys for their stay. Or they could find their own little treasures!
How fun is that?
Two things to share with you today. #1 I have long wanted to have a functional bidet...since before the Pandemic started but especially then... because of the toilet tissue shortages. I want to save the trees and reduce water usage while getting really clean and saving the stress on my body of the twists needed to attend to oneself. Since I herniated the L4-L5 discs and subsequent left-side sciatica issues? Amazon Prime days search led me to this one. I got it for $23.99 but even not on sale it's only $29.99. Very affordable on a senior Social Security budget. I bought it, my son installed it in 15 minutes and it has been wonderful!!! I love it!!! Maybe if you want to reduce paper product use too you'll find it works for you also. It saves water, reduces paper waste and this one is self cleaning.
#2. Joni Mitchell gave a concert!!!! ahhhhh - it had me weeping... I never thought I would hear her sing again. Oh my!!!!! and Brandi Carlisle and friends...wonderful!!!!
Joni Mitchell gave a concert!!!! ahhhhh - it had me weeping... I never thought I would hear her sing again. Oh my!!!!!
best news i've heard all day. Thank you for posting it. This is the first time she has performed publicly in 20 years. Here we go:
Amanda Gorman, the young poet who spoke at Biden’s inauguration , spoke at the UN yesterday.
She is such a bright star!!
This is worth watching. She would fell at home in our community don’t you think?
Shout out to Chef José Andrés and World Central Kitchen.
This incredible man and his organization are EVERYWHERE when there is a need for food. His organization has been absolutely incredible during the war in Ukraine. At the moment he is on the ground in Puerto Rico and has teams organizing and distributing needed meals in all the places Fiona impacted including, Dominican Republic, Grand Turk, Bermuda and Nova Scotia, Canada. They are still in Pakistan after recent epic flooding there and Alaska after the horrible flooding there as well. If needed, we will see him organize boots on the ground in Florida for Ian.
One person can indeed impact the world.
I choose to focus on the positive impact on the world one individual can make. Imagine what Twitter and all types of media would look like if we only focused on his World Central Kitchen for a day, a shining light for the globe and not the other impacter individuals who choose to snuff out the light.
Want to reduce stress? Try cyclic breathing. It is apparently better at stress reduction than even mindful meditation.
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-cyclic-technique-effective-stress-mindfulness.html
This video of a 5 ft boulder crashing through a house and missing a women by inches shows truly good news. Good news she wasn't a step closer to the impact zone. It is amazing to watch. So happy she is ok. Her angels must have been working overtime.
https://abc7.com/hawaii-boulder-crash-crashes-into-home-video/12752918/
OMG. Total angel protection on that one. Wow.
Niall Harbison.
Niall is Irish and one of the most inspirational light workers around. Simply put, he has changed my life, shifted my consciousness in a beautiful way. I now look at the world in a slightly altered lens, a better lens.
I have been following Niall Harbison for 9 months on Twitter and Instagram. He is the ONLY reason I haven't left Twitter. He is such an inspiration.
He rescues and cares for street dogs in Koh Samui, Thailand. Through the process of loving and healing them, he finds himself healing, and the love that flows between Niall and these incredible dogs in turn flows to those who follow his story updates. It is manifold love and it even flows to me and in turn back to those dogs and back to Niall.
I have cried tears of grief and happiness. I have seen love transform the most broken of dogs and it restores my hope in a better future for all sentient beings.
I have seen mountains moved and it is so inspiring.
Below is a link to a well done Australian news program which devoted a segment to him.
May his work inspire you also.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2N5s148U_hQ
Former military base El Toro in Southern California is being transformed into a huge city park. Larger even than Central Park. There will even be 2 lakes and museums. It will span 1,300 acres and include an amphitheatre, aquatic center and veteran memorial garden.
Hey All, Not sure exactly where to post this, but this thread seems most appropriate. I'd like to know if anyone is feeling a huge weight being lifted? For about a week now this is exactly what I've been feeling. Whereas 2023 felt like I was under a hot, heavy blanket, just recently I have begun to feel incredibly light and optimistic. This isn't related to personal events, since I've had my fair share of annoyances lately, so I don't attribute my feelings to an improvement in my personal circumstances. In fact I've had some stuff happen at work that's been a bit infuriating, but whereas last year it might have thrown me off, now I'm not even worried. Same with world events and politics. So, this is a long way of asking if anyone else is feeling an energy shift. Maybe it means something? I sure hope so!
Hmm.
There is a new puppy in our house which means a lot of extra work and stress right now. Yes she is a cute fluff ball, but she is a HANDFUL and much of my time (free or not) is being taken up by her "everything".
But that being said, I would say that I am not really worried about a lot of politics and global things that currently worry others around me either. I would say there is more lightness in a way.
Hey All, Not sure exactly where to post this, but this thread seems most appropriate. I'd like to know if anyone is feeling a huge weight being lifted? For about a week now this is exactly what I've been feeling. Whereas 2023 felt like I was under a hot, heavy blanket, just recently I have begun to feel incredibly light and optimistic.
Yes, same here. 2023 was heavy energetically for me, but I felt a shift in the past week. I attributed it to me going back on my antidepressant which lifts my mood, but maybe there was a shift in energy too.