Everyone has Something to Give

About a year ago I discovered Freecycling and I thought that I'd take a moment and say how much I love and adore this wonderful program? idea? word?

If you aren't familiar with Freecycling here is a quick explanation: Most areas have a local yahoo group where people can post things they want to get rid of for free. You can also post asking for something that someone else might have and wants to get rid of. All the transactions are local and have to be made with no money changing hands. The idea is to prevent things from going to the dump that someone else might be able to use.

In the year that I've been particpating in Freecycling I have been a grateful recipient of some WONDERFUL free things, and have been the grateful giver of several items I was glad to have someone haul away. In fact, just yesterday a wonderful couple came and picked up the spare bed and pedastle sink we had lying around our house. They needed a bed for their grandson who was sleeping on a falling apart futon and were really grateful for the bed. It was the BEST feeling in the world to be able to give them something that they really needed and not to charge anything for it. It made me want to go post more things to give away just so I could get more happy tingly feelings.

This is the beautiful thing about Freecylce-- you get something for free, you are grateful for what you got, so you give something you don't need away for free, you get happy tingly feelings once you give it away, so you keeping giving more things away, until there comes a time when you need something again, then you get it for free, you are grateful... and the cycle starts all over again. I really think that Freecycling is a little bit like how living in a Zion like community will be like, when people can give freely of what they have to others without thinking about material gain.

Anyway, I LOVE Freecycling and hope that the idea catches on, because I think it does a wonderful job of building a sense of local community, cooperation, and service. In fact, I think the idea is so important that I just started a little mini Freecylce group in our Releif Society. We have a paper that goes around every week with things people need or things they want to get rid of. So far it has been working great.

If you haven't Freecylced yet-- YOU SHOULD! Everyone could use something for free, and everyone has something to give.