Hey everyone! I’ve got some really great news I just couldn’t wait to share with all the Horizon Goodwill faithful. I got up Monday morning and, as I’m sure many of you also have to do on a regular basis, I needed to move my wife’s car out of the driveway so I could get mine out. I didn’t want to be late and I’m sure my employer wouldn’t want to hear that I forgot to perform the vehicle tango the night prior. Anyway, throw on my shoes, grab both sets of car keys and head out the door—only to be slammed with some downright frigid weather! Ok, maybe it wasn’t exactly “frigid”, but it was really cold out and I wasn’t expecting that. In my defense, there was frost on both vehicles, so I knew I wasn’t coming down with the flu.
I moved Missy’s car onto the street, pulled mine out, then pulled her’s back in. Even with all this activity I was still cold and decided it wouldn’t be the worst idea to go inside and pull my Fall jacket out of mothballs. There it was, right where I left it last October, waiting for me like an old friend in the corner at a high school reunion. I grabbed the coat and proceed to put it on while exiting the house, but realized immediately it didn’t fit. I know what you’re thinking; “John must have put on some weight since last year”—but guess again! It was too large! I was stunned…what could this mean?
Fall Is Back! Donate Your Old Coat To Horizon Goodwill
“I can’t believe it…she’s actually succeeded.” I kept whispering this mantra to myself as I entered my vehicle. I absolutely love this coat. I wore it last year while investigating that mysterious book that keeps showing up at Goodwill stores throughout out the area (you remember that fine piece of journalism, don’t you?) and I even had it on when explaining to my daughter the benefits of making your own Halloween costume. How could my jacket, nearly a year later, now be too big for me?
I love a good mystery, and have always been fascinated by arguably the greatest literary detective character of all time—Sherlock Holmes. I remember in one novel, and I’m paraphrasing here, but he told his sidekick Dr. Watson “when you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth”. Missy did it. Somehow, my wife, with all of her healthy cooking and green meals was able, over the course of a year, to make me lose weight!
I felt pretty darn good about this as I pulled into the convenience store for my first cup of coffee, my jacket hanging off me, blowing in the breeze. I thought briefly about picking up a few donuts to wash down my morning cup of Joe, but I just couldn’t bring myself to indulge. I lost weight…and I didn’t even know I was doing it! That Missy, she’s crafty.
Looks like I’m in the market for a fall coat that fits, not a bad problem to have. This weekend I’m going to take my current jacket, the one that’s now too big for me, and donate it to Horizon Goodwill. Someone is going to snatch this thing up in no time, and why shouldn’t they? It’s a nice coat! And I’m willing to bet there’s a nice selection of autumn jackets just waiting for me at my local Horizon Goodwill store. There has to be some other guys out there that realize their coats no longer fit as well, maybe, like me, they need a smaller coat or, like the old me they need a larger one—hey, I don’t judge!
There might be just one other thing about this whole coat revelation that makes me feel better than knowing eating healthy helped me lose weight. Yes, by donating to and purchasing from Horizon Goodwill, I’m doing my part to help fund job training programs to community members with barriers to employment. I’ve talked about these incredible programs and services several times in the past, and have even witnessed first hand the impact Horizon Goodwill’s training and education has had on our friends and neighbors.
So, yeah, I’m pretty pumped up as I write this, eating my baby carrots and substituting my third cup of coffee with green tea. If you’re looking for a stylish fall jacket with awesome character, men’s size XL, you may just want to check out your local Horizon Goodwill in the new future!