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I've seen it happen before many times: good relationships go bad. A purge takes place where everything that reminds you of your ex is removed from your place to the trash, or goodwill, or a little bonfire out back.
Except.
Except that one thing that for some reason you can't get rid of. You have your reasons. They may have nothing to do with an emotional attachment to the person. In my case, The Thing is a mug. Yup, a mug. I can't part with it, though. It's a perfectly good mug in perfect condition! And I like the colors! It's ok to keep it, right?!
But every time I look at it, I think of the ex. And that's no fun. Who wants to be thinking about the ex who stomped on your heart nine years ago when you just want a cup of cocoa? I'm married with 2 kids, for pete's sake, and yet I still have this mug that I can't get rid of because I don't want to get rid of a perfectly good mug.
So, let's swap, shall we?
In this swap, you will send your One Thing That You Cannot Get Rid Of to your swap partner. And that is it. It could be a t-shirt, a mix tape, a blender, whatever it is that you are holding on to. Send it off to your partner.
Do NOT send a note with it. You don't want to spread the taint to the new recipient. Just let them open the package and be happy with the object for what it is and don't tell them any of the item's backstory.
Requirements:
Because some of these items might be rather large, this swap is limited to US only. PLEASE, by all means, create one for your region if you want to. People with any no sends and scores under 4 need not join. You will be banned. The item you send MUST be useful and in good working order. So love notes, a leaf, the wrapper from a stick of gum, a scratched CD of your songs--not allowed. It has to be something that anyone off the street can find a use for in their daily lives: clothing (still in wearable shape--no holes, not completely faded, etc.), an accessory, a household item, a key chain, jewelry, a book, an unused journal, a crock-pot, whatever as long as it's a usable item. Just as it must be useful, it can't be something that would be considered gross by your average, boring Joe Schmoe. No underwear, toothbrushes, "marital aids" or things of that ilk. I'm obvoiusly not saying those things are bad in and of themselves, I'm just saying that that's the kind of stuff people don't usually find useful if they don't know where it's been before. There is no monetary requirement for this, because we all hold on to different things. You might send off a pair of gold earrings and get a mix CD or an old t-shirt in return. Don't think in terms of monetary equivalency. You are swapping something you associate with someone you don't want to think about anymore for something you're going to be able to use without any bad juju. And that's a step up, even if you're sending a $100 item and getting a $5 item in return. If you have a collection of usable things you are hanging on to and want to be rid of them all, you are welcome to put together a box of things, but you are only required to send one usable item. No explanations, no backstory, no tales of woe about the break-up. Just send it off. If you want to write about it as you send it off, then by all means do so, but keep it in your blog or personal journal and do not send it on with the item. You are welcome to include a "hi, how are ya, hope you like it" kind of note, but NO mention of relationship badness is allowed AT ALL. Recipients CANNOT make requests. You get what you get. And as long as you get something that could be considered useful to your average person, EVEN IF IT'S NOT USEFUL TO YOU PERSONALLY FOR SOME REASON, it is considered a good swap. If you can't use it, there are plenty of places you can donate it. If they send you a used toothbrush, then you have a right to complain. But if they send you a Medium t-shirt and you need a Large, then donate it, use it for crafts or to clean the car. It's still a good swap. This is about getting bad juju out of your life, not about getting something taylor made for you.
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