Stuff replacement saving stuff

When I was given this great bottle of champagne, I took it on several trips and could not find an event special enough to open the bottle. I finally decided the event was drinking this $130 gift bottle of champagne. So, guess what? It tasted a bit flat. It tasted like a good apple cider. Moral of the story, you snooze you lose. Don't wait to long to drink a good bottle of champagne. I finally drank it on its second trip to Santa Fe while wearing my Hawaiian sarong. Could this be a bit risque? Loved it anyway. Second moral of the story, drink faster.

I just visited a dear friend who moved her life and her shop. A month ago she had nothing leaving husband and all behind and now she has her own duplex in a desirable part of town and guess what? She has a washer, a dryer, and a refrigerator and a new radio for $1.98 even though the volume is not controllable and plays loudly. It is on and loud or it is off. And, she is living comfortably. She just lost 155 pounds, the weight of her ex husband.
This gives me hope. Not the ex husband stuff, rather the replace of essential items that keep you from going to the laundry mat. When I was forced to go to the laundry mat I heard incredible life stories, one after another. I was a sounding board for America. I guess I had this free therapist look on my face. I could hide behind any magazine while waiting for the clothing to get fluffy but still, put the mag down, I wanna tell you my history. It is great writing material.
I was on a plane leaving Switzerland and my seat buddy began telling me all about his wife and their best friend's husband dieing of cancer and he went to help and well...you know what happened and now how could he live with himself or tell his wife. His sympathies were too strong and things got out of control and well...more peanuts and coke please. I never saw him again and he was released from a bit of the stress and I have never let it go...The laundry mat stories are much more dramatic and usually involves a small shared house and maybe a baby and a boyfriend and a husband. I gotta have a washer, always.

Back to my friend, what scares me is her shop is smaller than mine and completely filled a duplex. I know I can do this. I look right and I see a very cleaned out area. I look left and I see a million small items I have not dealt with lately. I just gotta give crap away. The dumpster is full for a few days until the take it away dump truck comes. I remember the friend's smart alick husband who was a bit of a bossy neat control freak coming in my shop and saying "What the hell are you gonna do when you have to move?" Unforgivable words in my book.

So when we give stuff up, more comes.

I love empty spaces.

Less is more.

If worse comes to worse, I invite my friends to line up in the alley and I will fill their cars with interesting small stuff and they can drive it off into the sunset. OK?