Weekend Wrapup

Ohhhh Monday. Why are you always here?!

So Saturday night the "stuff" finally got to me. I know, I know. You're all probably rolling your eyes and saying, "I've heard this before, she'll scrub the apartment clean, file away the pile of papers on her desk and feel better."

But this time it was different - the apartment wasn't messy, just cluttered. We officially have too much stuff.

I went to Target on Saturday night to get some storage bins. While there, I came across a stack of "under bed" storage containers that I used to use in college. I decided to buy one and see if I could get rid of some of the clutter in my dresser and armoir and hide it under our bed. When I got home I realized I would need to do some major clean out under the bed first (apparently the dryer hasn't been eating my socks, the bed has - along with ice packs, water bottles, hair clips, books, etc. etc. etc.). Of all things, I found the journal I kept for Bruce when he was in Africa and I was cruising the Eastern Mediterranean with my parents. Obviously, I was THRILLED that my parents had given me this fabulous opportunity, but a recurring theme in my journal posts was the shear amount of waste that I saw. I remember vividly being Monte Carlo, France and standing outside the Grand Casino, horrified that people from our group were gawking and taking pictures of the cars parked just outside - cars that were worth more than any house I'll ever be able to afford.

Maybe it was the hot sun. Maybe it was the fact that I had been living in a stateroom the size of a small walk-in closet with three other grown adults for two weeks. Or maybe it was the fact that Bruce had been living in a house with no electricity or running water for two months, spending his days at an orphanage with children who had to be taken from their homes because of abuse and neglect.

It could have been a combination of all three.

But it just didn't seem right.  We do a program at my mom's church called "Tortillas for Teupasenti."  For $1 a day, you can feed a child at the Children's Rescue Mission for an entire year.

How many children could have been fed with one $250,000 car?

We live with so much excess. Bruce and I really don't have any money - in fact, I started taking out student loans last semester to ease some of our financial stress. But we still live in excess. I really don't know how that happens.

So back to my apartment. I've decided that every day until classes start back up again I'm going to get rid of two things that I don't need. They don't need to be huge things (the bed and couch are staying!!) but they need to be something!! Some of the things - like yesterday's just about gone bottles of perfume that I haven't worn in four years - can be thrown away. But I'm going to try to donate some of the stuff as well. One of today's items is my bike. It's a clunky mountain bike that I've ridden twice since being in Atlanta. It doesn't really work for the type of riding Bruce does that I may eventually want to get into. But it may work for someone in transitional housing (a stage between living in homelessness and getting an apartment) who needs to be able to get around to run some errands. Bruce brought my bike to MUST Ministries this morning. They fix bikes that come into their warehouse and redistribute them to those in need. I'm not sure what else I'll get rid of today - I'll keep you posted.

There is something so freeing about cleaning out and finding ways to recycle things. As happy as I will be to get home and not see my bike hanging on the balcony, I'm more happy to think that someone may ride it every day.

I took a walk yesterday and came home to find this.

Bruce on the porch reading; Lilly had come out to bask in the sun and jumped up with him.

That's what's really important anyway.

I hope everyone's week is off to a fabulous start.

Smile big, love hard, rejoice always, find grace and live in peace.

Sarah