A few weeks ago our elementary school hosted a rummage sale. I was delighted! Finally, a worthy motivation to attack the piles of clutter that I always intend to confront.
I suffer from that strange affliction that leads me to feel attached to the billions of swarmy items in my house. When I hold up a clothing item under consideration, I know I rarely wear it, but I sort-of like it and maybe I'll wear it when the weather is warmer. When I hold up the boy's and girl's clothes that don't fit anyone, I know we're not going to EVER use them again, but I sort-of think that maybe I could consign them. When I look through the books that I haven't dusted in 4 years, I know the library owns a copy of each one, but I sort-of think that maybe I'll decide to read that one someday.
The school rummage sale is the PERFECT cure to my madness. When I look in the bins of sewing fabric and knitting yarn, I know there's not quite enough of any one yarn to make the sweater I want to knit, but I sort-of think I might do a creative project that uses all the bits.....but wait! The school needs donations! It's for the children! The children need me! They're counting on me! Finally, a worthy opponent has risen up to battle and defeat the evil pack rat!
I gloriously donated 2 carloads of gear to the sale, and am daily egging myself on to keep the flow going.
Let me consider Easter now, which is a 2-week event around here. My kiddos often get a basket from the bunny, filled with small trinkets and toys and delights. The new clutter-free me is feeling really suspect about the contents of baskets - do the kiddos REALLY love those little things, or are they just providing a deluge of fodder for my overflowing toy cabinets? Thinking back on about half of what I got them for Christmas, I realize that they LOVED one item, and they half-heartedly appreciated a handful, and they ignored way too many of the doo-dads that I thought were so cute and clever. Yeah, I'm thinking I'll tell the Easter bunny that we don't need any of that in our baskets.
So, candy, then? Well, hold on, now. Tomorrow the kids are doing an egg and candy hunt at Zoe's private school, AND an egg/candy hunt put on by the town Jaycees. Next Saturday they're doing the block/neighborhood egg hunt, and there's even a candy hunt at our favorite grocery store. I really think the bunny need not bring candy here!
Novel as it may be, I really think this year we may just have an Easter morning simply singing hymns and attending church. I'll focus the family attention, instead of on toys and candy, on bringing the whole day back to its point. I'll tell the kids the Easter bunny finally got baptized.
**UPDATE: My sister reminded me that dyeing eggs and hiding those, followed by gluttonous consumption of egg salad sandwiches and deviled eggs, is an essential element of Easter that doesn't involve candy or junk-toys. I like it.
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