Charity Donation Drop-off
I woke up early to do some last-minute gathering of stuff that I was going to take to the Salvation Army and First United Church in the downtown east side. I managed to gather a cart full of stuff that barely fit in my trunk.
I got to the first stop, the Salvation Army when it opened. I have to admit that I had an ulterior motive for donating here, too. Today was there $2 sale. I couldn’t resist looking around. I found a couple of things for my retail blog and three dresses. Total was $8. I tried to justify my spending because it wasn’t much money though I know that I really shouldn’t be acquiring anything until I clear out my home.
I guess this would be considered a relapse, much like when an addict resorts back to the bad behavior. It doesn’t help that I’ve been feeling depressed lately and I’m sure that this buying lifted my spirits. This is what they would call retail therapy.
Downtown Eastside Donation
I drove to the downtown eastside to drop off my donation to the First United Church again. This time, since I was alone, I couldn’t just stop and run up with my donation. This time, I had to find a parking spot and then load up my cart and walk back.
As I walked on the street with my cart filled to the brim, it occurred to me that anybody looking at me might assume that I am another homeless person, carting their worldly possessions with them. As I entered the line in the church, some of the people were watching me, wondering why I was there with the cart.
When I got to the desk, I told them that I had donations for them. They asked me if I was donating on behalf of a group and I said no, just me. They were particularly grateful for the shopping bag full of toiletries that I had gathered-things like samples of shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, dental floss, hand lotion, etc.
They were also glad to get the big shopping bag full of books that I had brought. I had brought several bags of books on Monday as well. I want to keep doing this. There are so many books in my library that I just have to admit that I will never read. I’m going to go through my books again this week.
More Cleaning and Clearing
When I got home, I felt motivated again to start looking for more stuff to donate to the church shelter. I think the secret to this success will to be emotionally detached from my things. I have to make fast decisions to get rid of things. If I stop and ponder, there’s more of a chance that I’ll want to keep it.
For example, I found a gift bag from two birthdays ago. My friend had given me this green handbag that I will never ever wear. She also gave me this beaded wool vest. That’s something I’d never ever wear either. The last thing in the bag was two bouquets of fake roses with fake dew on it, too.
I remember that all I did was stuff it away in my closet. But now I have to face it. I’ll have to give these all away. It’s too bad because she probably spent a bit of money on it all. I feel badly for having to get rid of it. Hopefully somebody will appreciate that stuff.
Depression
I started to get those nagging feelings of depression throughout the day. My emotions were running the gamut between satisfaction to despair. I’d get hungry and eat bad things and then get sleepy.
This whole week has been a bit of a struggle for me, emotionally and mentally wise. I’m having a hard time coping and feeling optimistic. I’m not sure what I’m going to do if I can’t snap out of this funk soon. Pretty soon the bad weather will come and then it’ll get even worse.
fiftyandunemployed 