Amidst a collapsing economy, something incredible is happening, and it is the opposite of what one would expect. In hard times you would think people would be more likely to hoard what they have, and do their best to look out for number one, but this does not seem to be the case.
Only just a year ago, the items being offered on our local Craigslist (CL), under the free section, were quite few and limited. Now, the amount of items listed has more than tripled! Upon placing an ad myself this week for a blender under the ‘Items Wanted’ section, I netted myself two replies. The first offer was for a glass blender, as I requested…for free! Practically never used, it now sits in my kitchen, and I have an item I sorely needed.
I also have given quite a bit away myself on CL, and as of yet, not one item I have offered up, has not been accepted. I have over the years offered many items up for the taking, including clothing, furniture, food, etc. I replied recently to a request for a kombucha mother (fermenting item), and was happy to share with a wonderful couple that recently moved here to the Springs. Raven and I eat lettuce wraps on a regular basis, but find the inner cores too small to use for this purpose. We both can’t stand salad so we end up left with a lot of romaine lettuce cores. Due to an offer we put up in the free section of CL, we now have bi-weekly pickups from a lady who uses it to feed the local rabbits and prevent them from eating her garden.
We feed our cats raw chicken, that we strip from the bones, and throwing these away felt like a real waste to me. I told my mother I was placing an ad up on CL for free chicken bones and skin, and she said it would be a miracle if someone took me up on it. That night however, I received an offer from a gentleman, who will now be coming by on a semi regular basis to pick them up!
Another form of gifting I receive on a regular basis, is in the form of the rides I get hitchhiking. So many wonderful people pick me up, and they often take me directly to where I am going. This has created connections in my life I would have never made otherwise,and many of these people are now friends of mine.
I am also starting to give away free weekly classes, teaching others some of my skills and knowledge. Giving away what we know and sharing with the people around us, only empowers them and ourselves, and helps people to become more educated. A world that is better educated, profits everyone!
A good amount of people are now getting into ‘couch surfing’ and offering their homes up for temporary guests traveling through, or people in temporary need of help. Organizations like CouchSurfing.org give people the opportunity to share space, and meet people from around the world. CS now even offers a feature, that enables one to just offer up one’s time to hang out with people passing through, for those who are not wanting to offer their homes. This gives people a feeling of connection, even when far from home.
The circle of friends I now have in my life, are all into gifting and we all profit from the relationships we have with one another, in more ways than just companionship. I freely give away my time and services to friends, and in return I am given rides, entertainment, and items that I am in need of. My daughter Raven recently was given by concerned friends, a can of mace, and a very nice blade for self protection. Those who are artistic amidst our friends, give handcrafted jewelry, do drawings, hold concerts for one another, etc.
All of this ‘gifting’ is without expectation, and done out of genuine caring for those in the world around us, and it really seems to work! True, you do not want to gift those whom you know are selfish and without caring, but perhaps through example,we can even effect these people! Gifting is exciting, makes you feel good inside, and really helps you to see just how much caring there really is in the world. When people are given the opportunity to share, it helps them to feel empowered, creates deeper connections, and gives more meaning to life.
Go ahead and give gifting a try…you might be surprised as to where it all leads!
