If you didn’t have it, would you miss it?
Emily here.
Want to take a moment to tell you all about a game I play. A few years back, I was out shopping with my friend Aubrey. Honestly, we might even have been Christmas shopping.
She found me agonizing over a pair of shoes – black leather booties. I already had two pairs that were similar, but I loooovved them.
Aubrey stood there a moment patiently while I went over the pro’s and con’s, and then asked me, “If you leave them, would you miss them?”
I was like, what?
“That’s what I always ask myself,” she answered. “If I leave it, will I miss it? If I don’t know, I leave it. If I miss it, I go back for it. If I don’t miss it, then there’s the answer.”
As someone from a family who splurges first and thinks later, her words hit me in a profound way. They stuck with me, and have become one of my favorite little sayings.
Then, two years ago now, BarberQue was born and I found that those words had an all new application.
Much to the dismay of my housemates, since the founding of BarberQue I have kept a “pile” of donations pretty much year round. I play Aubrey’s game often – while doing laundry, while digging through my closets, while organizing my kitchen.
But as Christmas approaches and we all try to make space for the new “stuff” we’re going be bringing home in a few days, I think that now more than ever is a great time to play Aubrey’s game.
“If you didn’t have it, would you miss it?”
If the answer is no, it goes in the pile.
Today I am dropping off a nice rolling suitcase (I upgraded), a couple duffle bags, and a bunch of clothes. It’s shocking how much stuff you have that you wouldn’t miss, but that might change someone else’s whole world.
And if you don’t want to drop it off yourself? Shoot us a message – Megan, Izla and I will help get it to the people who need it most.