Preface—What does the chi in your home say about you and your family? Have you ever walked into a room and felt instantly comfortable?or the opposite, uneasy? You were feeling the energy in that space. In Chinese culture and the ancient practice of Feng Shui (pronounced Fung shway) it is called Chi or qi (pronounced chee), it describes "the natural energy of the universe". New Age describes it as "subtle energy". Basically the theory is that everything contains vibration energy at the atomic level. Whatever you call it, it's undeniable, and real.
It was a cold December morning as I lay snugly ensconced in the quilt, lost in the world of dreams when the telephone rang. I leapt out of the bed and picked up the phone. “What items are on sale?” the lady on the other end enquired. I remembered in a flash that this was in response to the advertisement I had inserted in a local newspaper to dispose off old house hold items. I responded to her and fixed a time of 10 AM for inspecting the stuff.
In next 3 hours I got about a dozen calls and sometimes my mobile and fixed phones rang simultaneously. People evinced interest in old scooter, furniture, sewing machine and some wanted to know the prices even without seeing the goods.
During the day more people called in and showed interest in things which were not on sale and others came just to kill time and see if they could pick up something for peanuts! There were some genuine buyers and others wanted to know why I was getting rid of the belongings like if I was moving places? There were some interesting buyers like a middle aged lady wanting all available beds and mattresses for a guest house she was operating from her house for working girls. A cheeky guy wanted refrigerator, inverter, and utensils or anything; I could sell at most ridiculous prices so that he could resell them further!
It was a cold December morning as I lay snugly ensconced in the quilt, lost in the world of dreams when the telephone rang. I leapt out of the bed and picked up the phone. “What items are on sale?” the lady on the other end enquired. I remembered in a flash that this was in response to the advertisement I had inserted in a local newspaper to dispose off old house hold items. I responded to her and fixed a time of 10 AM for inspecting the stuff.
In next 3 hours I got about a dozen calls and sometimes my mobile and fixed phones rang simultaneously. People evinced interest in old scooter, furniture, sewing machine and some wanted to know the prices even without seeing the goods.
During the day I got some very interesting visitors. One gentleman came with his son and evinced interest in the old sofa. He wanted a discount and his wife’s approval before going ahead to buy it. I agreed and after another hour he returned with his wife and son. The lady used all her charm to get a further discount but I did not relent. The gentleman inspected the handles, then bent over the sofa, examined the bottom and cushion reminding me of doing the same to our daughter when she was young to check, if she needed a change of diaper. ’Some of the cushions are crumbling, so the seats would need replacement in six months time’ he remarked. ‘Well, I never said I am selling you a new sofa, this one is five years old,’ I protested. After a little discussion and bargaining, the sofa set was sold!
A young man trooped in a little later and wanted to see the old scooter. He circled the scooter twice inspecting from all angles, and kicked it to life. He kept his ear near the running engine and accelerated to hear the sound and assess its residual life. It was a lot of learning in one day for me! He seemed to be happy with the machine and next wanted to examine the original registration papers. The deal was struck and I had scored off one more items from the list. It was noon by the time the two possessions were sold. I longed for lunch and the Sunday siesta!
During the day more people called in and showed interest in things which were not on sale and others came just to kill time and see if they could pick up something for peanuts! There were some genuine buyers and others wanted to know why I was getting rid of the belongings like if I was moving places? There were some interesting buyers like a middle aged lady wanting all available beds and mattresses for a guest house she was operating from her house for working girls. A cheeky guy wanted refrigerator, inverter, and utensils or anything; I could sell at most ridiculous prices so that he could resell them further!
By sunset I was exhausted but richer by eight grand and had managed to get rid of some old stuff which was not finding much use. Real clutter translates into emotional clutter very easily – so be vigilant about getting rid of things not useful any longer.
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