Donation box

How A Bushfire Crisis Helped Me Declutter My Home

Donation box

The recent bushfires in New South Wales (Australia) saw hundreds of houses destroyed and a man losing his life protecting his home. Sobering images were swept across our TV screens and we watched day-after-day as the fires were slowly contained, leaving devastation in its wake.

An old school friend of mine, living in the Blue Mountains, put a call out for help. A family living near to her lost everything in the fire. She asked us to pull some things together and get relief to this family, quickly.

My little community sprung into action and started collecting toys, clothes, and furniture. We purchased everyday essentials like deodorant, batteries, pillows, towels and underwear.

I looked around my own home and saw piles of things I could donate. It got me thinking, that in the event of a crisis, I was able to let go of the sentimental value that these items had on me, knowing that they were going to a family in need.

It took a crisis to realize that hanging on to clothes and toys that no longer had purpose in my daily life was silly. Someone else could get as much pleasure and enjoyment out of those items, rather than sitting in my closet collecting dust.

Move Fast. Don’t Overthink. Let It Go

I happily took my bags and boxes to the collection point and was stunned by the amount of donations already there. Another friend hired a truck to drive the goods to the family – a good two hours away. The family was very grateful, and paid our good deed forward by helping other families around them.

I haven’t thought twice about the things I have donated. Apart from sharing this with you now, I haven’t mentioned it to anyone. I’m not looking for recognition. I don’t believe any of us who helped were looking for a pat on the back. I did what anyone would do when asked for help from a friend. Tapping into that motivation, I simply let it go.

 

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