The holidays give you a chance to take stock of what you have and reflect the last 12 months as the New Year takes shape.
During this reflection, you’re bound to find things that you don’t see as a part of your life moving forward.
Whether those things are life practices or just items you no longer have a need for, you’ll need to make some decisions.
That old guitar sitting in the corner might be better served somewhere else. It is dusty, a little out of tune and you can’t remember the last time you played it. Plus, you received a a new one when Santa made his rounds.
So, just maybe it's time to get rid of the old one. So, how do you do that?
The obvious answer is to throw it up on a classifieds site or on social media. Take a picture of the item on your cellphone, fire up the ol' Facebook app and give it the tagline, "Guitar, $30, needs gone ASAP."
Now, what you do with your stuff is up to yourself. However, there are alternatives.
Chances are one of the local school music programs would love to have the instrument. So, here's an idea.
Dust the thing off, tune her up and start making some calls to schools around town. If there is only one school where you live, the choice is even easier.
It doesn’t have to be a school. Private music companies might benefit from having an instrument lying around.
There are options.
When I was growing up, Christmas was a time to ask for a new glove or some new hockey equipment. Whether that was a new stick, gloves or a helmet, I can’t remember now.
Either way, I was jettisoning an old piece of equipment for a new one. Those old pieces sat in the basement for years.
I never donated those discarded pieces, but I should have.
Many kids don’t get into hockey because of expenses. Even one piece of equipment donated to a local minor hockey branch can help put that kid on the ice.
But, it’s not just instruments or sports equipment that could find a useful home somewhere else.
Old video games and books, as well as clothes and footwear might be better served as donations rather than a way to make a quick buck on Facebook.
It's just a thought.
— Nicholas Mercer is the online editor with The Western Star. He lives in Corner Brook and can be reached at [email protected].
