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Going with the flow

It's council pick-up in my area 

On lawns around the neighbourhood, piles of unwanted items have appeared.

There are shelves, chairs, tables and lounges.

Cups, glasses, plates and bowls.

Fridges, washing machines and dryers, dishwashers and microwaves.

Lawnmowers, pressure washers and other gardening equipment.

Televisions, stereo units and speakers, video and DVD players, computer screens, desktop computers and gaming units.

Packing boxes, cardboard boxes, crates and pallets.

I think you get the idea.

It's fascinating in many ways.

Firstly, a lot of the stuff is is good repair. A house could easily be furnished with the discarded items piled up for council pick-up.

Secondly, it attracts people who deal in second hand goods and scrap items. On the afternoons before the collection date, little trucks and cars roar up and down our quiet street, stacked high with items collected from roadside piles.

Thirdly, there are items that seem to appear each council pick-up. Neighbours have picked up something interesting, used it for a little while, and then discarded it. The cycle repeats itself several times and the item is shared around, and each time it is saved from oblivion by a roadside shopper.

Some people might think it's a negative thing, evidence that we have too much material wealth.

However, to me it means abundance. The fact that everyone is able to let go of things they don't need anymore, and release the old stuff to make way for new things. 

To go with the flow.

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