20/365
September 2010
Silviu: “There’s a bike left a few steps away from the rubbish bin outside!”
Me: “Maybe it belongs to someone from around here!”
Silviu: “Nope, that’s there to take!”
Me: “It must be broken!”
Silviu: “It needs a new wheel, but I can do it!”
He found the bike when we lived in Fulham, in an interior court that we could access from our ground floor kitchen, he bought it a new wheel, fixed it and used it.
One year later, we were living in Putney on the seventh floor of a building. The only thing the thief left behind was the same wheel Silviu bought, tied to the pipe next to our doorstep.
London life in a nutshell!
I think freecycle is a very cool concept and I gladly give away and accept things.
I used to shop a lot till about seven years ago and I would end up with the same top in varied colours - that is not smart or responsible, especially if you do not even wear them. Probably having the massive discounts as a Harrods employee did not help either, we would shop at every sale like it was 1999!
But the space in a home is finite and I feel like I cannot breathe when there are too many things. Every six months I would declutter (#mariekondo) the house to just give things away or throw them to make room for new stuff.
I hope you have asked yourself - what are you actually paying with?
Even if you are not making money on an hourly/monthly basis, although most people do, what is the actual cost of the thing you want to buy?
I probably have developed an obsession about time. I wish I realised this earlier in life that for most people - time is the real currency. Once this hit me I changed my angle on everything the market has to offer!
And there is also the other side of this issue - when you are spending your time, who benefits the most?
It is why I feel so strongly about people choosing to spend time with me, they are giving me their most precious commodity.
I hope you feel the same about the people in your life!
You got this!
