Most of us have experienced this situation: You’re standing in your overstuffed garage, staring mindlessly at that bike you never ride, your husband’s rusty water skis or maybe even your kid’s old baby stroller, which has been gathering dust for, oh, say 10 years. We know we should donate or throw away such items, but often, we have trouble letting them go, usually for sentimental reasons.
When faced with such a situation, consider the Buddhist principle of nonattachment, which claims the root of all suffering is attachment, and that to end suffering, we must practice nonattachment, thereby liberating our minds and embracing more balanced lives.
Today, take a hard look at the items you’re attached to, consider finding new homes for them and contemplate Buddha’s advice to free yourself by rising above such attachments.
WOMEN IN NUMBERS: 23
So, who in your family decides to donate those aforementioned attachments? Who notices when you’re almost out of toilet paper? Who remembers to feed Fido and keeps everyone on schedule? It probably won’t come as a surprise to you that it’s women, women, women.
One sociologist decided to formally study this phenomenon. She interviewed 23 husband-wife couples about how tasks are divvied up in their households and discovered women do tons of invisible work. For instance, women take on more of the information-processing responsibilities (like which car-repair shop to go to), the worrying (like wondering whether little Suzy is meeting her developmental milestones) and the planning (Hello, grocery shopping!). Want to try a fun experiment to test your all-seeing superpower? Don’t buy toilet paper this week and watch how quickly your entire household unravels!
WOMAN TO WATCH: Kerri Couillard, Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Babierge
If you have a kid, you probably have some attachments to his or her baby clothes, toys or even that old crib. Obviously, anything little is totally adorbs, especially when it has sentimental value. But given your new approach to ridding nonessential attachments from your life, how can you let go of all your baby items? On the opposite end of the spectrum, what if you’re traveling and can’t possibly bring along all the equipment your baby needs? Well, Kerri Couillard has the perfect solution. She’s the founder of a company called Babierge—that’s part “baby,” part “concierge”—the first tech platform of its type that enables traveling parents to rent baby equipment from other vetted families in the area—all with the goal of making traveling with Baby less stressful.
It started a few years ago, when Kerri needed to kick old baby stuff to the curb to free up some garage space. But Kerri noticed there was an emotional component involved with saying goodbye to her kids’ baby stuff. So, this entrepreneurial-minded lady took a different approach, opting instead to rent those baby items, thereby breathing new life into long-unused stuff and helping out other families, all while making a little money.
After bringing in her first $300 within just three days, Kerri launched a national campaign, to fantastic results. She recruited other baby-equipment renters, namely stay-at-home moms, and before long, was running a booming baby biz. Now Babierge offers rentals in more than 40 markets, with renters bringing in an average of $1,000 a month by renting out their baby goods.
One smart business decision key to Kerri’s success involved teaming up early on with another successful entrepreneurial woman, the co-founder and CEO of Match.com, Fran Maier, who now acts as CEO, helping Kerri lead Babierge to even more success.
Moms, if you’ve ever experienced the frustration of juggling a baby carrier, car seat, diaper bag, baby play gym and, oh yeah, the baby, while boarding a flight or checking into a hotel, then Babierge is perfect for you. Instead of lugging all the necessities with you, rent them ahead of time and have it all delivered to your destination. That’s true concierge service!
QUITE THE QUOTE
Today’s quote comes from straight-shooting actress and comedian Roseanne Barr and goes out to all the mamas. She said:
“I know how to do anything; I’m a mom.”
This is Melinda Garvey signing off until next time. Remember, ladies, empowered women empower other women. Share On the Dot so more women can have a voice. Thanks for getting ready with us.
To learn more about our conversation, check us out at OnTheDotWoman.com and talk to us @OnTheDotWoman on Twitter and Instagram. We’d love to hear your voice.