My New Year's resolution for this year was to appreciate what I have. This is a very broad resolution, I know. It encompasses both philosophical ideas (living in the present, and not worrying over the past) and more mundane things (stuff).
Falling under the latter category are clothes and books, two things which I have collected somewhat compulsively in the past. Years ago, I had so many clothes that I wouldn't let even close friends see how many I had (I kept them in the basement -- an apt place for any dark secret [ask Dr. Jung]). Over the last few years, I've purged to such an extent that I now have a normal-sized wardrobe of which I am not ashamed. And I actually wear the clothes I have, instead of merely collecting them.
I've purged many of my books, too, but I still have a ways to go. Despite being a reader and a writer, I don't like to own a lot of books. They take up a lot of space. (One is always having to purchase and make room for more bookcases.) They gather dust. And there are many books that I read but will never re-read. What is the sense in keeping a book you won't read? It's like keeping a shirt you'll never wear.
Enter Bookmooch! I found this site through a comment on a friend's blog. And, my friends, it's cool. You enter a list of the books you want to give away (your "inventory"); the database sends an email to the others users who have said book(s) on their wishlists. The first user to contact you and ask for the book gets it. You don't sell the book, but you do pay to ship the book to the user. Likewise, you get the books on your wishlist for free. Great idea! beautiful in its simplicity! But it also means I have to get off my ass and go to the post office on Monday, and ship off five books.
But it's nice to know that someone who really wants a slightly worn 1937 edition of John Dos Passos' U.S.A. Trilogy will get it. And that soon Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Marble Faun" will arrive on my doorstep.
what a great idea!
Posted by: kyra | January 25, 2008 at 04:50 PM