“If nature made you a giver, your hands are born open; and so is your heart; and though there may be times when your hand is empty, your heart is always full, and you can give things out of that-warm things, kind things, sweet things-help, and comfort, and laughter-and sometimes kind laughter is the best help of all.” 

— Frances Hodgson Burnett, British novelist and playwright (1849-1924)

The temperatures pulled a fast one on us, and suddenly it turned cold. By the last week of October, we were already having mornings in the thirty and forty degree range.  I had anticipated wearing summer dresses with cardigans and leggings for fall when more like winter showed up. On Saturday I pulled out all the summery dresses and put in some warmer wear. Then the temperatures moved up into the seventies with the sun making it feel even warmer. The warmer wear went back to the winter closet, and I was back into clothing somewhere in between. The temperatures seemed unpredictable until I opened the journal I kept during the height of the COVID year.

On October 14, 2020, the temperature was forty-seven degrees and I changed my closet out to warmer wear. On November 2 it was thirty-nine degrees.  On November 10, temperatures had soared to seventy-four and by mid-December temperatures had dropped into the mid to high twenties. It would appear the weather is exactly as it always is: entirely unpredictable.

If you’re one to rearrange closets by season it’s a good time to do so. Time to examine what you need and what you don’t. Decluttering is an art whether it’s cookware, linens, games and toys, book shelves, coat closets, shoe racks or everyday clothing. I was brought up by a mom who said, “If you’re not using it, pass it on to someone else.” And that we did. Sharing items that are still in good condition and enjoying unclutter spaces is a worthwhile project. Using and reusing what we already have and sharing with others makes sense on a lot of levels.

I was in the third grade when my mom asked me to come into the living room where a friend was visiting. Mom explained to me her friend knew a woman who was raising her daughter by herself. They didn’t have very much, and the daughter needed some school clothes. The friend thought the daughter was about my age and size. Mom asked if I’d like to give the girl some of my clothes. I readily said, “Yes.” I had a favorite aunt who regularly sent me boxes of dresses. We went to my closet and pulled out the pretty dresses I would like for the girl to have. My heart was tender, and I was happy to do so.

The next day at school, imagine my surprise to see a girl who sat on the other side of the room wearing one of my dresses. I said not a word until after I had walked home. “Mom, that girl who needed the dresses is in my class.” Nothing more was ever said about it. Though I don’t remember her name or what happened to her afterwards, I do remember the lesson: “If you’re not using it or need it, someone else can.”    

Shannon Bardwell is a writer living quietly in the Prairie. Email reaches her at [email protected].