Blossom Home Refresh
“These items are not spoiled or damaged, (we) may be able to make use of them later on.” Do you know anyone with this mindset?
And what if you carry this mindset daily? It can become an unhealthy habit -- a hoarding behaviour. This behaviour can pose a threat to you and your family.
One weekend in March, a group of Blossom World youth volunteers and staff headed to a beneficiary’s home. This beneficiary had slight hoarding behaviour which is quite common in Singapore, due to one having a ‘holding on to sentimental value’ mindset. “One in 50 people in Singapore will display hoarding behaviour in their lifetime”, reported a study by The Institute of Mental Health’s (IMH) Research Division: Bee Khim, Khoo in (2020) CNA Lifestyle.
The beneficiary is an old couple. The elderly lady is no longer fit enough to help out in the daily household routine of tidying up, cooking and even doing laundry and the elderly man thinks that it’s a waste to throw items that are in relatively good conditions. Therefore these items took over most of the space in their flat and left them with only the space of one bedroom and half of their living room.
The volunteers managed to clear away the unnecessary items, which filled 14 Heavy Duty green outdoor street bins, over that weekend (permission given by the beneficiary and their daughter), cleaned the house and chatted with the beneficiary’s daughter and grandchildren. The completion of the decluttering and cleaning would not be possible without everyone’s effort. Even our volunteers were thankful and touched by the beneficiary’s children and grandchildren for their assistance to help in the cleaning up.
“I feel that their daughter’s enthusiasm motivated us to give our best and set the tempo to the speed we worked. She showed her kindness generously – going the (sic) extra mile by staying late into the night and waking up as early as 5+ in the morning to tidy up the place, mopping the floor, so that the volunteers could have a more comfortable place to help out although there was no obligations for her to do so. I realised that kindness may not necessary (sic) be just one party giving it to another; there are times whereby it works both ways, so long as both parties having the understanding of give and take.”
The remaining areas in the kitchen and storeroom would be cleared by the elderly man himself, as communicated to Blossom World by their daughter. Everyone was proud of the obvious progress and state the house was in at the end of the project. We took a group photo and left the beneficiary’s home so they could have a good rest after all the hustle and bustle of clearing and cleaning.
Our volunteers also learned a lot through this mini Blossom Home Refresh Project. Through participating in the project, one of our volunteers appreciated the fact that his room/home is clean and comfortable, something most people would take for granted, whereas the beneficiary was not able to have that. Another volunteer also noticed the joint effort by people who were not expected to help during this event; the beneficiary’s daughter and grandchildren as well as the event’s photographer and videographer.
“The volunteers were really committed to helping, pushing on for hours to make sure the job is done”
“I think each of us sacrificed in our own ways; some courageously sort through the items despite knowing that there could be cockroaches, while others endured the stench of the green bins to dispose the trash. The daughter of the owner of the house too worked tirelessly to help out although she knew that we could do the cleaning for her.”
“Through this event, two realisations dawned on me.
Do we tend to dispose of things to make space for newer and better things?
Do the older generations like to hold on to items longer than they should because they appreciate the value and importance of an item?
The above questions are just generalisation based on my observation when I was clearing stuff during Blossom Home Refresh. How can we come forward to achieve zero waste? It will not be easy, but it will be worth it. Let us work towards a beautiful Earth for us and the future generations to come”
-- These thoughts by Yue Min (BWS staff) do not represent Blossom World Society’s view.
Have a story of an act of kindness that touched you? Share with us! Let us work together to share the graciousness in our community and inspire more to give. Down the road, compassion will definitely be part of Singaporean’s 5 Cs.
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