Goodwill

Few things are more satisfying than clearing out half a dozen bags of old clothes, abandoned books, and assorted bric-a-bracs from one’s basement and closets, and carrying all that shit to Goodwill or St. Vincent DePaul or wherever, where worthy individuals will sort it, repair as necessary, and resell it, thereby earning much-needed funds for their respective organizations and the communities they serve.

And when you can make the delivery on your bicycle, carrying the goods in your very own Haulin’ Colin trailer, it’s a virtually unalloyed joy: not only do you get to the enjoy the intrinsic pleasure of divestiture, you also get to feel all holier-than-thou for doing so on two wheels, plus you earn your day’s exercise by lugging the load behind you while pedaling up hills that become that much steeper with every extra coffee-table book or pair of shoes you’ve included in the stash.

I made two trips today and cleared out something on the order of 30 square feet of floor space in the basement, an area now freed up for bike components and other junk that I’m unable to part with. This just goes to show that one man’s junk is another man’s imagined project; it’s not that one doesn’t hold on to crap that will never get used; it’s not as if I don’t have loads more stuff that ought also to be donated to a worthy cause; it’s just that it turns out to be a lot easier to give up on a polyester shirt that hasn’t been worn since 1996 than it is to forsake a broken derailleur from a scavenged bike of the same vintage.

I’m pleased to say that the workers at Goodwill were suitably impressed with my decision to bring my donations to them via two wheel; they let me cut to the front of the line and everything. And they were even more impressed when I came back the second time; trailers rule!