A funny thing happened to me on the way to the Dumpster in Kyiv...

I haven't posted anything here in awhile, so although this is a weird subject, it's the only thing I knew I could get out without much thought. I just returned from a week in Ukraine (it was WONDERFUL...more on that later...with thought) and while I was there I had a funny trash incident. (I've actually had a lot of funny trash incidents in Ukraine, but that's another posting. :) Or for the sit-com, right Michelle? :)

After being a month in Prague I went back for the Calvary Chapel national conference and to gather up the rest of my things in Kyiv. (I could only bring so much with me in the car / on the train when I moved here).

But in a month you have to start buying things...you can't wait a month for your can opener...for example. Also, now that I was actually out of Kyiv and had shed the tears, I realized that I didn't really need that half burned out candle with the wick broken off so you can't light it :) ...because although I had brought it with me when I first moved to Kyiv and as well as it still holding a great spicy, musky aroma it also held 8 years of memories of sitting by it's light (before the wick disinigrated) at holiday's with friends, during winter months to try and make a freezing flat more cozy, or in the morning hours as I read my Bible or prayed...that although it reminded me of all those things - it WASN'T all those things, but merely a touchpoint of those things. If I threw it away, I would still have the memories.

Fairly obvious for all of you, I'm sure, but for this confirmed pack rat, it was an epiphany. Long story short (if not already too late for that, ha!) I threw a BOAT LOAD of stuff out, gave even more away, and overall re-packed all my stuff to make it more compact and orderly for the eventual (God willing!) move here in the next month (I'm sure that's going to warrant a posting, too!) :)

ANYWAY...I'm throwing the last load in the dumpster and I see that this Babushka is going through the stuff I threw out earlier...only about 15 minutes before! In her hand she is holding a picture of me standing with some of my friends that used to work at the US Embassy in Kyiv, Peace Corp, other NGOs, etc. It is Christmas and we are at the US Ambassador's residence.

I just looked over and saw her holding the photo and said "Oh, that's my picture of my girlfriends and I. Please give it to me." She answered "Of course, with pleasure!"...handed it to me and I walked back to my waiting cab...said goodbye to my loyal friends that had brought me lunch and seen me off and rushed to the airport for my flight back to Prague.

I don't know why I thought this was post-worthy...just funny. Kind of surreal. :)

Here's something else that ended up in the dumpster once. :) This was actually just a joke as we were packing up to drive from Kyiv to Hungary for my initial move here. Spot didn't think it was quite so funny and meowed fairly pitifully while I took the picture. :)