We use Freecycle and I've had good experiences with it, both giving and receiving. I love that the main rule is that no money changes hands, so it's truly free.
Don't know about anyone else, but when a stranger comes to the door after arranging to pick up an item, I get a burst of both joy and excitement and a strong feeling that this is how things should be. The interactions can be surprisingly thrilling and it's clear that it cuts both ways. There was the nice lady who wanted rid of a lovely old drop-leaf dining table that we relieved her of and the man who went away delighted with the full length mirror he had for his daughter's bathroom. Everyone I've come across during these interactions seems to genuinely enjoy them and it makes me wonder what happened in the past and what we've lost.
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branchandroot
Re: Freecycle
Date: 2024-02-13 04:30 pm (UTC)Don't know about anyone else, but when a stranger comes to the door after arranging to pick up an item, I get a burst of both joy and excitement and a strong feeling that this is how things should be. The interactions can be surprisingly thrilling and it's clear that it cuts both ways. There was the nice lady who wanted rid of a lovely old drop-leaf dining table that we relieved her of and the man who went away delighted with the full length mirror he had for his daughter's bathroom. Everyone I've come across during these interactions seems to genuinely enjoy them and it makes me wonder what happened in the past and what we've lost.
Maybe it's like being a child again, before people learn to be selfish. This boy giving his twin sister a biscuit illustrates it well: https://www.tiktok.com/@thefildutchtwins/video/7174882272162630917