Souljourn for Mind, Spirit and Earth: Days 19 – 21 Minimize Clutter Manifest Abundance

The last three days (March 6-8) of this Souljourn, Minimizing Clutter and Manifesting Abundance,were quite interesting, indeed.  Transformative even.  Two of those days were spent at a magical place called the Farm Sanctuary in Orland, California. I then returned home and dealt with all the clutter I collected these past three weeks.  I found some excellent recycling and reusing options that I’m eager to share with you.

And what does the Farm Sanctuary have to do with minimizing clutter and manifesting abundance you ask?  Quite a bit actually.  For starters, I took time off over the weekend to decompress.  Haven’t done that in a long while.  I could feel myself breathing again.  Simply stepping away from my computer for 48 hours helped me minimize the noisy clutter inside my head so that I could maximize some space in my soul.  And it worked!  Hanging out with rescued farm animals has a ginormous healing effect on the spirit.  I will be writing more about those lovely beings in my next Souljourn, 21 Days for World Hunger, starting on March 20, 2010.

And then during the final day of this Souljourn, I dedicated a few hours to rounding up all the collected clutter and dispersing of it accordingly.

I started with Freecycle.  Let me state for the record that I love Freecycle.  If you haven’t tried it yet, you are in for a treat.  Anything you need or anything you need to get rid of – the Freecycle network is your source.  Free, by the way, means there is no exchange of money.  Two years ago my best friend was visiting and needed a portable playpen for her baby.  Instead of our purchasing one or instead of her lugging one on an airplane, I checked out Freecycle and a complete stranger lent me one for eight days.  Just like that.  I see all kinds of things on Freecycle like Two Cinder Blocks – taken, or worm bins, or thermal undies.  Seriously, check it out!  My husband and I gave several things through Freecycle including an old vanity and mirror…I mean old.

So, I have an unusually large collection of stickers for an adult woman (still holding onto my 30 year old Mad Magazine stickers…just can’t seem to let those babies go).  I used to put stickers in scrapbooks and always had some on hand for the little ones in my life.  I decided it was time to clear them out.  I posted on Freecycle suggesting how they could best be used by a teacher.  Within one hour I started getting responses.  Turns out there are a lot of teachers who could use supplies, but that’s probably not a surprise to many of you.  I divided up the stickers for two different teachers.  I removed the Offer on Freecycle but not before several more emails came through.  One read something to the effect of:

My grandmother has Alzheimer’s Disease, and I send her cards and letters with tons of stickers.  She really enjoys the animals and flowers and anything a child would admire if you still have any stickers.

Another woman asked if she could take the stickers to her daughter’s kindergarten teacher who buys his own supplies.  She added:

The teachers are expected to do great things for the children but there’s no budget for the supplies. Teachers don’t get paid enough as it is and I think it’s really unfair.

With each email, my heart was hurting.  How is it possible that we live in a society where underpaid teachers have to purchase their own supplies?  I ended up spending more time sifting through my art supplies.  As a former art therapist and a current fine artist, I have loads of supplies.  Even some of the adult leadership development sessions I facilitate in the business world involve using art media for various team building projects.  I landed with three large boxes of supplies and more stickers for the gal who has a grandma with Alzheimer’s.  In addition to the stickers, I gave away a big bag of candles (old and new) and party blowers on Freecycle.  Everything was picked up or dropped off within 24 hours of the first post.  Freecycle…Yes!

I love Craigslist too, but I find Freecycle to be much faster if you’re giving things away.  Craigslist is especially useful if you want to monetize your stuff.  I have sold and purchased many items over the years with my bud Craig.

I also plan to use Ebay for the first time.  I have an engagement ring from a former life.  It’s a special ring – one of a kind – from France.  My ex was French and his uncle owned a jewelry store in Paris in which most of the rings were individually designed.  Anyone interested?

I’ll be donating a few office supply items to Natural Bridges State Beach.  As some may know, California Parks have taken a huge hit with the budget crisis, so they can use all the help one can give.

I have one broken electronic item that I will take to a local place called Grey Bears.  Along with many household items, they accept anything with a cord to recycle or reuse.

While many second hand stores will not take bedding items, your local shelter may.  Be sure to check this out before putting any textiles in your garbage.  In 2007, Americans put 7 million tons of clothing and footwear into landfills.  Let me repeat, 7 million tons.  That’s 14,000,000,000 pounds.  That’s like a billion gazillion. And outside of organic cotton, hemp and bamboo fibers, clothing and shoes take a long time (more than a hundred years for some articles) to breakdown and/or adds toxins to the earth.  But most importantly (opinion alert), there’s no reason to put something in the earth if someone on the earth has a use for it.

I came across a bottle of old prescription medication and some expired cough syrup while clearing out a cabinet.  They will be deposited at a local pharmacy.  Please don’t put your expired meds down the sink.  I really don’t want to be drinking a glass of serotonin re-uptake inhibitor water.  I like my serotonin levels just as they are.

Just before leaving to deposit the bulk of my items at Goodwill, I found myself making one last ditch effort running wildly around the house, grabbing items (ya know, the stuff I was on the fence about) and impulsively throwing them in a bag.  I was making these split-moment decisions and feeling lighter and lighter.  Someone is going to score some great stuff.  At the beginning of this Souljourn, I committed to giving away 21 items that I’ve been holding onto.  Sooooo…there was one bump in the process.  My husband, who is not one to hold onto things, actually had me pull out those two glass candle holders with the suns (see photo).  It didn’t take much to convince me they had to be pulled from the donation pile.  And still, I gave away about 100 items (not including thousands of stickers) overall.

A sample of my de-cluttering

Reuseful Options for Your Old Clothes

• Besides the Goodwill and Salvation Army, there are plenty of options for clothes and shoes de-cluttering.  Ever try a Clothes Swap?  Clothes Swaps are chickalicious!  I’ve participated in a few.  In exchange for letting go of old clothes, you can pick up some new (to you) stuff too.
• Check out some of the other second hand stores in your area.  Ever been to a Buffalo Exchange?  Fun.  Very cool vintage clothing, but they are picky about what they take.  The good news is you get paid on the spot.
• Many towns have consignment stores.  They pay you a percentage (about 30-50% of sales) after they have sold your items.
• Check out Earth911’s Eight Ways to Reuse Your T-shirt
• GreenYour shows a list of links for recycling various types of clothing and shoes including formal dresses for underprivileged girls and maternity/baby clothes.  The organizations they list are mostly charities and are doing good things in the world.

But What About those Really Tattered Clothes?

 I am one of those people who will wear my clothes until they are so stretched, holey or stained that they become an embarrassment – to themselves of course.  I don’t mind at all.  I have found other ways of reusing these items after they have lived a full life.  Sure, we all know about cutting old t-shirts and using old socks for cleaning.  I don’t think I’ll ever be at a loss for rags.  But there are other ways to reuse as well:  stuffing for pillows, bedding for puppies, homemade stuffed animals, putting old t-shirts over car seats, rags for painting, polishing, and making art.  Give your kids some old clothes and watch the magic emerge.  Add some fabric paint to the mix and let their creativity soar.  Kids can make all kinds of amazing creations with your old stuff.  I remember entertaining myself for an entire summer with one refrigerator box.  I was thirty-seven.

If you recall from just a few paragraphs ago that several gazillion pounds of clothing and shoes end up in US landfills annually.  I think it’s important that Americans realize the environmental impact of the clothing industry and the contribution we can make to minimize the damage.  EHP (Environmental Health Perspectives) has an article entitled Waste Couture.

In brief summary, the article Waste Couture makes some of the following points:

• Each step of the clothing production process carries the potential for an environmental impact.  Conventionally grown cotton, one of the most popular clothing fibers, is also one of the most water and pesticide-dependent crops (a view disputed by Cotton Incorporated, a U.S. cotton growers’ group).
• According to the EPA Office of Solid Waste, Americans throw away more than 68 pounds of clothing and textiles per person per year (that changes the original number to 21,000,000,000 pounds).
• Before the 1920’s most clothing was repaired, mended, or tailored to fit other family members, or recycled within the home as rags or quilts. During WWI, The government’s conservation campaign used slogans such as “Make economy fashionable lest it become obligatory” and resulted in an approximate 10% reduction in the production of trash.
• During WWII, the production and consumption of many household goods, including clothing, grew by 10–15% and continues to expand to this day.
• The biggest impacts for increasing sustainability in the clothing industry rests with the consumer.  Using detergents that work well at lower temperatures and that don’t cause harm the environment extends the usable life of garments, purchasing fewer and more durable garments, and recycling these garments into the used clothing market or into other garment and non-garment products all would contribute to increasing sustainability.

Some Goodwill Stores and Salvation Army stores will take your tattered and battered clothing and resell those items to rag sorters such as Global Clothing Industry.  I highly recommend you first call to ensure the stores in your area do this.  The local Goodwill in my area does not.  As a result, any torn or unusable items donated to that store end up in the landfill – not good for the earth and not good for the Goodwill’s budget; it costs them beaucoup bucks to dispose of those things.  I have been working on a personal mission of not contributing to landfills, so it is worth every effort I can make to uphold that effort.

Other options for your torn, stained and unwearable clothing items:

• Contact your local animal shelters.  They may take certain items – especially old towels.
• Check out local quilting associations to see if they can make use of your textile goods.
• U’SAgain divides your used textile items into different categories and handles them accordingly.  Supposedly nothing ends up in landfills.  Those clothes that cannot be sent to second hand stores are turned into cloth for other purposes.  Some clothing items are sent to Guatemala, Chile, Africa or Mexico to be resold.  Check the website to see if there is a drop box near you.
• Planet Aid is another organization that can turn your rags into riches (for others).  Planet Aid is committed to helping poor and disadvantaged citizens of the Earth improve their lives and the lives of future generations. They support people and communities in the poorest regions of the world through projects addressing health, education, food production, and income generation.  See if there is a drop box near you.
• The article How to Recycle Virtually Anything offers loads of solutions for unloading your junk…err goods.  Granted, some of the solutions are specific to the south-bay area of San Francisco, yet many are nationwide.  I will offer some additional recycling ideas in a future Souljourn.
• Check out SMART (Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles) located in Bel Air, Maryland.  SMART’s vision is to reduce solid waste by reclaiming, converting, and recycling textiles and secondary materials.  As an international trade association, SMART strengthens the economic opportunities of their diverse membership by promoting the interdependence of their industry segments and providing a common forum for networking, education, and trade.  SMART’s homepage offers all sorts of useful information about recycling items that your local waste company may not take.

If you’re looking for a local company that recycles or reuses old clothes or other textiles, go to SMART’s homepage.  About midway down on this page, you will see a box containing a photo of a woman and child.  Click the first link in that box entitled Consumers and Green Advocates.

On the right side, there is a widget to find a recycling center near you, for all kinds of items!

Just for kicks, I tired several different entries including medicine, batteries, tires, oil, household cleaners, paints, needles, and carpet.  Each time I saw a list of stores in my area that take those things for recycling.  The widget did not accept puppy or husband.  I guess there is not yet a big enough demand to recycle those items.

A Souljourn in Review

I met most of my goals for this journey.  I essentially stuck to the plan outside of the following three hiccups in the process:  1) I did not start a will with my husband, yet we will likely do that by the end of March.  2) I did not tackle the garage…spring project for sure and 3) I only recycled enough paper to fill up half a bin instead of a full bin.  I’ve been in the process of making my office paperless for some time, and while I am making progress; it’s slow going.

But wait!  Abundance!  The good stuff keeps rolling in.  While one part of me is not surprised that I have been receiving and continue to manifest abundance (that is, after all, what I set out to do), another part of me remains in awe that this stuff really works!  I think humans are much more connected to the energy of the universe than for what we give ourselves credit.  One of my intentions was to create some internal space by removing external (and yes, internal) clutter, thus allowing myself room to receive.  And receive I did and still am!

Some of the abundance came in the form of financial comfort through work opportunities.  It also showed up as re-connections with old friends.  Some abundance manifested as surprise gifts or words of support.  On each day of this journey I received something – even if it was a simple message from the universe.  And I believe there are signs everyday when I allow myself to see them.  A few times during this journey I was struggling and asking the universe (or whoever…) for signs that I was making the best decision or taking the most effective action; and almost immediately upon asking, I received a sign.  Twice during a conflict of transformation and while asking for a sign, Monarch butterflies flew in my path.  Could there possibly be a better sign of transformation?  I think not.

Sure, there could be many confounding reasons for seeing butterflies, and sure, this could seem all fuzzy wuzzy metaphysical BS to some.  That’s okay by me.  These are my signs, and I’m receiving them because I’ve chosen to do so.  They have meaning because I’ve chosen to give them meaning.  You do whatever you need to do with your signs – ignore, receive, create, or share.  Whatever you need to do.  Needless to say, if you’re looking to manifest some abundance, you may want to first take note of all the beauty that exists in your life.  Because receiving that kind of abundance is the easiest of all.

I now publicly bring this Souljourn to a close, yet it has not ended.  I intend to turn this experience into my transformational standard of life – a way of being. I will remain on the path and continue my work towards minimizing clutter (both the internal and external rubbish) and toward a sustained connection with my intentions.  And you, too, can create a reality that brings joy and fulfillment.  Yes, you too, can take a Souljourn of Abundance Manifestation.  Imagine yourself so empowered that creating an abundant reality is yours for the receiving.  And then imagine the ripple effect this abundance will have on those around you.  Take that ripple effect and imagine a world transformed.

Personal transformation can and does have global effects.  As we go, so goes the world, for the world is us. The revolution that will save the world is ultimately a personal one.
- Marianne Williamson

The universe is transformation; our life is what our thoughts make it.
- Marcus Aurelius

If you’d like to follow this journey from the beginning, the links below will direct you to all the posts in this series.

Souljourn for the Mind, Spirit and Earth: 21 Day Missions

Souljourn for the Mind, Spirit and Earth: Day 1 of Minimizing Clutter and Manifesting Abundance

Souljourn for the Mind, Spirit and Earth: Days 2 – 5 of Minimizing Clutter and Manifesting Abundance

Souljourn for the Mind, Spirit and Earth: Days 6 – 9 of Minimizing Clutter and Manifesting Abundance

Souljourn for the Mind, Spirit and Earth: Days 10 –12 of Minimizing Clutter and Manifesting Abundance

Souljourn for Mind, Spirit and Earth: Day 13 Minimize Clutter Manifest Abundance

Souljourn for Mind, Spirit and Earth: Days 14 – 18 Minimize Clutter Manifest Abundance