New Comforts

There is a corner of my apartment building, on the landing of a staircase, just within one of the doors, at which items are placed that the owners no longer want, but which they think may be of use to others. It is, in fact, a corner for recycling older but still serviceable articles. They may be glasses, cutlery, picture frames, pots for plants, or any other household item. Very few are tattered or unusable. The tenants use their common sense. The objects are free, of course, and usually are taken by another tenant; items that stay for a long time are disposed of by the resident manager to a thrift-shop. I myself have placed a few objects there.

Last week, someone put several large bath-towels in the corner. I didn’t want to use them for myself, but I knew who would. I gathered them up, washed them and laid them down in a couple of spots for the cats’ benefit. I already had towels there serving as blankets, but these are growing thin; the new ones are thick and soft. They have met with the critics’ approval.

I find the informal exchange of household items quite purposeful and sensible. There are many in which I am not interested, and those which I would not re-use. But by and large the objects I see on offer would come in handy to someone. And you can’t beat the price.