Someone's mess is another's treasure.
It’s no surprise with all the electronic stuff I’m getting RID of, that there are a few extra wires I have.
This box of wiring, cables, hookups, doodads, etc. was just begging to be given away on yet another football Sunday.
Here’s to Bluetooth, WiFi, and other technologies that will make this box a relic from the past.
One of many.
If you haven’t figured it out yet…I have a bit of a “luggage problem.”
Because I travel so much, I tend to always be on the lookout for new travel bag. The TED conference always provides a great conference gift bag – and now I have a closet full of them.
So, on a day when I’m away from home yet again…(I’m in Miami today)…I thought I’d give a bag away.
Goodbye faithful TED bag — you’ve served me well.
A nostalgic design, to be sure.
The RID project has made me think (a lot) about my relationship to stuff. And it has taught me some things about what I value.
I’ve blogged before in this space about how I have two desk lamps. But only one desk, and it’s not big enough for a lamp. How did this happen?
Well, now I have a fully-furnished apartment…and as I look around it, I think about the furniture I’ve owned over the years. And the item I’ve taken the most care with, shopped hardest for, had the most pride in…are the desks.
I think desks, good desks, are beautiful. They tell you so much about the owner. How they work, what they’re relationship to organization is, and it seems that most people I respect throughout history have the desk you’d expect them to have when you see them photographed with their desk. It’s their workspace, and often…their identity.
I think my love of desks comes from the belief I have (or “have had) about how someone’s work really defines them…and who they really are.
Thinking about my desk, and the items it holds today, gives me pause about how I’m defining myself now.
More later.
Actually made it though a wash, rinse, and then dryer cycle...takes a licking, indeed.
Everyone has their…thing.
You know, that thing that makes you collect…things. So you always have one more…thing…than you probably should.
ONE of my things is…watches.
The watch above, I bought for watching movies. I’m not kidding. I specifically bought a watch with a light up dial so I’d always know how long the movie has left.
So…today I try a few new…things.
1. How often am I really seeing movies in theater these days?
2. How about getting up and walking out on any movie that’s making me check my watch?
3. How about getting RID of a watch I’m wearing less than one time per month?
Goodbye trusty Timex…
A tribute to atom-based items.
If there’s one thing I’ve been thinking about a lot with the RID project, it’s memories.
How we make them…how we keep them.
The above is an old postcard rack that served a function of holding photos. It was a nice, decorative way to keep them.
So, why give it away? Well, the nature of the item is that it held lots and lots of photos. Which meant there were always a ton in it.
What the RID project is making me think about is keeping fewer photos out, to keep more precious memories…in.
A poetic thought for a Wednesday, I know.
But that’s the nature of RID.
"I'm not a businessman, I'm a BUSINESS, man."
Every now and then, I go out on a casual walk (or other) — and I need a backpack to hold some stuff I don’t want to carry.
As of today, “every now and then” is a phrase I’m paying attention to. It reminds me that maybe the item I’m describing is one I shouldn’t be hanging on to.
“Every now and then” just isn’t enough.
Goodbye, backpack. Happy travels.
I don't even play.
For RID – pair of golf shoes, only worn once.
You see, I got invited to a charity golf tournament a year ago – and I went to play. But to do so, I needed shoes, a glove, clothing…you know, to fit in.
I tend to golf once or twice a year…at most. The expenditures needed to attend a charity event were silly, especially in hindsight.
If I had to do the whole thing over again…I’d at least look for used stuff.
Here’s to, in the future, minimizing expenses on stuff I’m just trying out…or may not be committing to at all.
“Dabbling” can be expensive.
Not even sure if there are hummingbirds in Texas.
I bought this for my house in Seattle…there are lots of hummingbirds there…but I never got around to hanging it up.
When I found it in a box that had moved from Seattle to Dallas, I realized it was time to give it away.
Here’s hoping the next owner enjoys watching the hummingbirds outside his/her window.
Can't believe I was hanging on to two of these.
I have one desk, it’s not big enough to hold a lamp…and I own two working desk lamps.
Time to RID.
I think this lamp is a good example of how we get surrounded by so much stuff. It still works, I still like the design, I might use it someday…etc. etc.
PERSONAL ANECDOTE: Yesterday, a friend offered me a book and asked me if that was OK. I think that’s interesting, that some people jump to the conclusion that I’m not buying or accepting things while I’m doing this blog. The answer is yes – I am buying/receiving things I want, but suffice it to say…I’m looking at them/considering them a lot harder before I take them into my home. I’ll be blogging more about this later.
Fit a little too snugly for my liking.
I got this pair of Tom’s a couple of years ago.
While I’m a big supporter of the Tom’s company, the truth is…these shoes just never really fit me that well.
So why was I hanging on to them? I guess it was my way of supporting Tom’s, of being reminded every time I went to my closet…to be reminded of doing good.
Well, today I’m doing good by giving these Tom’s to someone who needs them.
Something tells me everyone will be better served.
What I got rid of today. 