My Freecycle Experience This Past Weekend

January 1, 2007

Dear Ones, This past Saturday I was blessed with a like-new sleeper sofa, queen size. It replaced one piece of a sectional that my roommates salvaged from the apartment's dumpster...haha. I have a mini van and with the seats removed, knew I could safely load the sofa in it, but all of my neighbors with muscles, Marines and Navy medics, are all gone visiting family out-of-state for the holidays. I knew the weight of a sleeper sofa would be too much for just Al & myself, especially on that trip to my UPSTAIRS apartment. Both of my roommates had to work that day as well, and the woman gracious enough to gift the sofa needed it gone ASAP. I thought about what else I might be able to do and then remembered what my missionary godparents and scores of Mennonite friends had taught me, HIRE LOCALLY. Some might think that paying someone to haul something you get for free is really no deal, but we really

needed a sofa, and having it be a sofa bed for company was great alternative to having guests sleep on the living room floor. I couldn't find anything in the PennySaver about hauling furniture that wasn't an actual move, so I checked out Craigslist San Diego, found someone local and who was available that day! The entire experience from the first phone call to the delivery was very pleasant and I felt GOOD about supporting a small local business. I met a great woman and was able to help add to the comfort of future guests, my roommates and myself. xoxoxo Pandora PS: The piece of sectional went to a neighbor who wanted a recliner (this had one seat which reclined) but who is too large for a traditional recliner with sides. Having a piece of a sectional provided an arm rest on one end, plus an extra seat that is much more comfortable for someone with a larger body."Forget not that the earth

delights to feel your bare feet and thewinds long to play with your hair." - Kahlil Gibran