My Experience with "7" by Jen Hatmaker--Week 3 (Possessions)

In the third chapter of her book ("7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess"), Jen addresses our consumer culture and the way that endless possessions fill every  nook and cranny of our homes.  Sometimes it seems that we are at war with our own tendency to accumulate: we clean, donate, and organize only to find the drifts piling up again.  Why can't we seem to tame the beast within us constantly clamoring for more, more, more?

The challenge for us this week was to donate 7 possessions every day.  And Jen encouraged us not to just drop off a bag at Goodwill--not that there is anything wrong with Goodwill.  It's just that this is a very impersonal way to donate the things we no longer use.  Jen wanted us to find people and local organizations that we could get to know in a more personal way, and she wanted us to really think through our donations: who would be most blessed by each article?  How can giving become part of our lives, rather than just a check-off on our to-do lists?

This week was my favorite so far.  It was challenging, but also very freeing.  Part of my personality tends to be a pack-rat; I have a hard time letting go of things, particularly those with any sentimental value.  But another part of my nature abhors build-up and clutter, and rejoices in letting it go.  This week, that second part of my nature won out.

My seven days roughly broke down as follows:

• Seven pieces of clothing from my wardrobe
• Fourteen articles of baby clothes that were beyond what Benji ever needed
• Seven pieces of jewelry
• Seven books
• Seven baby toys
• Seven miscellaneous household items

One day, I went through all of Benji's old clothes and (after stroking his first little onesies and reminiscing at length about how tiny and cute he was as a newborn) I weeded out, reorganized, and re-packed them into boxes.  I eliminated the use of one entire box between the donations and smarter organization.  That day felt very productive!

It was also good to donate some of my own clothing and jewelry, especially after my realizations after the clothing fast last week!  I found that the more I set aside to donate, the more I items I saw that I wanted to donate.  As I slowly opened up my clenched fists, I wanted to give away more and more and more!

So my donations are ready...Now what?

But putting the items aside was the easiest part of the challenge.  Now I had to figure out where to take it all--where it was really needed.  The baby and maternity items were pretty easy: our local crisis pregnancy center always needs items like these.  My clothes, books, and household items were trickier.  After making some inquiries by phone and Facebook, I discovered that our local battered families shelter needs donations of just about everything.  Now I know where their headquarters are and how to donate there.

But my favorite "donations" were the things I could think to give to people that I know personally: one of my favorite high school dresses found a new home with a friend's lovely teenage daughter; a necklace that I never wore went to a woman from church who I knew would appreciate it more; some pretty stationery went into a care package for a college friend who is going through a hard time. I hope that I can improve at matching my excess possessions to specific people in this way.

My takeaways from this week were:
1. Giving away possessions is much more freeing and joy-bringing than accumulating them.
2. Matching specific items to specific needs is challenging, but rewarding.
3. Giving away my unneeded possessions makes me more hesitant to purchase new things at the risk of simply re-cluttering my closets.  I am more conscious of advertising and our culture's pressure to be constant consumers

(Here's a statistic for you: "In a typical year, the United States spends about $16 billion in foreign aid and $276 billion on advertising." — Jen Hatmaker in Seven.)

[And if you are looking for a fun way to match items you don't need with a new home that needs them, take a look at Yerdle--it's like an online yard sale where people post things they no longer need and "purchase" (with fake Yerdle dollars) things that they do need.  Before I buy anything at a store, I check and see if I can find it on Yerdle.  You only pay shipping costs and you help eliminate a little bit of consumer waste!  You just have to be careful to buy only the things you really need...]