One Hundred Days of Give Aways

Sometimes the simplest idea turns out to be the great idea.  My friend Barb has recently proven this to be true.  It all started when she decided to “de-clutter” her house.  Rather than simply pack up the belongings she no longer wanted and haul them away, she came up with the idea of having “100 Days of Give-aways”.  Every day for one hundred days, a new item is selected and a picture of it is put up on facebook.  The first person to claim it is the recipient.

            I have watched with interest as she has put up her daily choice.  Barb has offered everything from scrapbooking kits, to a set of glass candle holders to Christmas decorations.  As I watched the items being claimed on facebook and plans being made for pick-up or delivery, I began to realize what a great idea this is.  I didn’t know the half of it!

            One day Barb’s offering was a book I had been wanting to read.  I jumped at the chance to claim it and was successful.  What followed is what made me realize just what Barb had done with her little “100 Days of Give-aways” and how she had, perhaps unwittingly, created a social event with many of her friends.

            Barb and I tried to plan a day to get together for coffee or lunch so that I could claim my book.  There was not one day in that week that worked.  Either Barb was out-of-town or one of us was busy when the other was free.  It simply did not work, which is something that often happens in our busy lives when friends try to plan time together.  One day Barb emailed me to say that she would drop the book off to me at work that afternoon.  I emailed her back to say I would not be in my office that particular afternoon and asked if I could stop by at her house just before lunch to pick up the book and perhaps we could have coffee.  She said that wouldn’t work as she was still in her pyjamas.  I sent back a message to her asking if I could just stop in at her  house and she could slip the book to me through the door.  She laughingly agreed.

            So, it was that I found myself on Barb’s doorstep, admiring her many creations on her porch and knocking on her bright yellow front door.  Barb greeted me, in her pjs’s, book in hand.  We stood on the doorstep and talked for probably twenty minutes. After a great conversation, I walked away with my new book and realized what Barb had just done.  If she had not had had her “100 Days of Give-aways”, we would still be trying to arrange a time to get together.  Because of her inventiveness, we met, had a great conversation and renewed our friendship, even if it was only for a quick visit.  I realize that Barb is doing this with all of her friends who claim prizes – one day at a time for a hundred days!  Ingenious!  Plus, she is cleaning her house.  Everyone wins.

            When I opened my book to read it, there was a little “bonus” from Barb.  She had included a little crafted card (which she created herself, crafty person that she is) with a thank you for giving her item new life and for our friendship.  How perfect is that?

            Sometimes a simple little idea like de-cluttering your house turns into a unique way to renew old acquaintances and forces everyone to take a few minutes to talk to an old friend.  By my calculations, Barb has about eighty days left on her give-away, so who knows, we may slip in another twenty minute visit on her porch soon again.  Good ideas that turn out to be great ideas . . . it’s a good thing.