I wrote the post below five years ago. I was impressed with Soles4Souls then, but they have only gotten bigger and better since. They have added Wearing Out Poverty as their byline and are moving towards the goal of eradicating extreme poverty by 2050. This year on May 3rd they hope to raise $24,000 in 24 hours to help with that purpose worldwide. Click above to find out more.
One morning last week I was running late for work. I threw on black hose and a black skirt and hurried back to my closet. I swung open the door and stuck in a bare foot, slipping on a shoe. I repeated the process with my right foot and was off to a staff meeting that was set to begin.
Later that morning as my day began to slow, I kicked off my shoes. It wasn't until I slipped them back on that I realized they were not mates. I was so embarrassed; I'm not normally so scattered. Later as I thought about my situation, I decided I had been embarrassed about the wrong thing. Actually, mine was an embarrassment of riches. This could only happen because I have two pairs of black leather slip-ons that are so similar that I didn't even notice I had on two different shoe styles. And my choices that morning were not limited to just these two either, which is not the case for many people around the world.
I don't need so many shoes, but someone could use them. Today I will clean out closets! Our excess is going to be shared with someone who has been doing without.
(Confession time. I did clean out closets when I wrote this piece. Still, I have to admit that I have been cleaning out closets again this past week and passing along our excess once more. Five years of intentional spending and attempts to live a minimalist lifestyle and we still have too much stuff.)
Today I will...
