Thankful vs. stuff

Our kids need to send Adam Baker a thank you note or several.   We are leaving a note once we are gone, prior to doing anything else …….send Adam Baker a thank you note.

Mr. Right and I send thank you letters, emails and notes almost every week.  We send them to businesses that have gone above and beyond.  We send them to people who have done wonderful things.  We send thank you letters to politicians we want to acknowledge as doing a good job.  Yep, we have sent a thank you letter to Dave Ramsey for teaching us so much.  We have sent thank you letters to teachers, authors, friends actually pretty much anyone you can think of.

For the past year or so, Mr. Right and I have been diligent about getting rid of items………read that as crap and stuff.  For just two adults we try and fill our garbage can weekly (let me tell you, as much as we recycle, filling the garbage can is a tough trick).  We make a true effort to go to the Goodwill or Salvation Army once a month.  We are donating what others may have use for.

Mr. Right and I have been on a quest for about 3 or so years.  We are defining what Freedom means to us.  We are serious.  We are working on it almost daily.  We want to be able to do things and travel places and help others and we need to be in control of our own life and “stuff” to do just that.

We both love and have learned so much from every single TEDx talk we have ever viewed.  Adam Bakers’ is no exception.  Yes, we have been following him on a weekly basis for a couple of years now…………his TEDx talk sums it all up.  He just released a movie as well.  You can get it through his site for $5.00.  Such a good deal.  Here is a 20 minute talk that will share a bit about him………………yes, he is young…………however wise beyond his years, somehow he has opened our eyes………….please find time to watch it………..so worth your time………..http://manvsdebt.com/adam-baker-tedx-talk/

We all have seen families or been the ones to lose a parent or two………….then amongst the grief, change and most of the time saddness…………comes this HUGE DAUNTING task of going through and getting rid of their belongs………their stuff……………their crap.  We both come from families of people who save things and have a hard time letting go.

Now, I am not talking about changing religions from our Methodist ways to becoming Amish……………..I am just gently sharing that by getting rid of some of the extra stuff in our lives we have felt a huge weight being lifted off of our shoulders.  Our thinking was to be kind to our children and not leave behind a mess.  Somehow in the process we found ourselves bathed in the Grace of calm and peace in our own lives.

Last week, we filled the back of our car…….I mean filled.  We donated 38 gently used board games and 9 jig saw puzzles that we no longer play or have already done.  Please don’t feel sad or melancholy for one moment.  We still have a game cupboard with 20 or more board games and puzzles.  We counted pieces and taped or secured each and every box so as not to have pieces fall out or come up missing.  Those plus another bag of clothing and frames and other things…………….yep, our kids need to send Mr. Baker a thank you note!

Every single time we make a trip to a donation place, we somehow weave into our conversation…….you kids are going to be so happy with us!  We are going through “stuff” we are pairing down to things we really need or value.  You are not going to come upon a room full of unused yarn or crafts.  You are not going to be hit in the head when you open the game cupboard.  You are not going to be surprised by the window seat crammed full of board games.  You will not utter the words……………”why on earth were they saving this old thing”?

We are so grateful and thankful every single day that we have a very good life.  We have items to give away and donate.  We have plenty.  We will keep on combing through our daily lives and seeing what we can do without that someone else may be able to better utilize.

No, we are not getting rid of everything.  We are just enjoying and placing worth on things that have real, honest to goodness value.  Two days ago, a friend brought me a, take your breath away, bouquet of color saturated, Thanksgiving tulips.  I love them and her for thinking of me.  I am going to enjoy and smile and do a little jig every single time I gaze upon them.  Those are the good “things” in life.  I have so much to be thankful for and grateful for…………….we are choosing to clean out the stuff and only hold onto that which is of value.

Today, I am making our Thanksgiving cards.  We have much to be thankful for.  I would much rather spend my time making Thanksgiving cards than worry over and taking care of “stuff”.