One Person’s Garbage

245 Marbles

    It was a sunny day today after several rainy days so I took myself out for a run.  As I ran down my alley, I saw two pieces of furniture sitting out by the garbage.  I stopped for a moment to see if they were in good working condition but seeing as I had a run on my mind, I continued on.  I figured if they were there when I got back from the run, they were meant to be mine. 
    After I had been running for about fifteen minutes, I thought, “Hey, I was looking for something to hold all my books, school textbooks, etc. Those pieces would be perfect.”  As it is now, my numerous books are piled beside and underneath my bed in unsightly piles.  A bedside bureau and shelf were on my most-wanted list, but now that they were right in front of me I ran right by them?  So I turned around and, thankfully, they were still in the lane waiting for me. 
    I’m not a fan of cheap, particle furniture and these pieces were real wood. But what if they weren’t meant to be taken?  I tried knocking on the house but there was no answer.  I figured that I could ascertain that because of their proximity to the garbage, the furniture was there for the taking.  But how would I get them to my house?  I ran up the lane and got my son’s wagon to use as a dolly and with a bit of a balancing act, got them into my yard.  The one piece I carried in, the other I waited for my eldest son’s help. 
    Life answered my need for some bedroom furniture.  I felt immense gratitude as I organized my books neatly into the shelves and cupboards.  There wasn’t a feeling of scarcity of having someone’s garbage, there was a feeling of abundance, the realization that life is always in flow.  I wrote a thank you card to my neighbour down the way, thanking him/her for the furniture that was being put to good use (and leaving them my phone number just in case I had taken them in error).  When I didn’t hear back from them I knew that person’s garbage is the answer to another woman’s mess.

What do you do when the things you ask for show up in front of your face?  Do you recognize them?  Receive them? Appreciate them?  What would it take for you to receive them more easily?