Letter 74 - You will not believe how this University Professor spent her retirement years!

Hello Bregdan Woman!

Ginny here…

About 40 years ago (1984), while living in Southern California, I had a very interesting experience – one that totally freaked me out at first…. (I’m told totally freaked out is dated language, but it’s simply the best way to express what I felt!)

I had a fire pit on my back patio, but no money for wood. When I saw an ad in a local newspaper for free firewood, I called immediately. When a man answered the phone, I told him I was responding to his ad about the firewood. There was a long pause. Just as I was wondering if we had lost the connection, he said, “You know, I like your voice. You can have my wood.” I should have realized then that I was walking into an odd situation, but I was too excited about getting the wood to heed any internal cautions. I just jumped in my truck and started driving!

When I arrived at the address, I noticed 2 things right away. One, I was in a very upscale, expensive community full of million-dollar homes. Two, the long driveway was lined with hundreds of black plastic flower pots full of plants – most looking rather pathetic. I was still fixated on my wood, but now my curiosity was aroused even more.

I drove up, knocked on the door, and was met by a silver-haired, distinguished-looking couple. I felt relieved… until I looked over their shoulder. Their elegant home was FULL of stuff. I mean FULL. There was a small aisle through the middle of the room, with only enough area around the sofa and chairs to sit down. Now, before you think hoarding, you have to realize I was looking at antiques, and fabulous statues, and amazing art, and…

Turns out I was looking at the results of their worldwide travel before retiring. Both of them were retired UCLA professors. I could feel myself relaxing. Okay, they might be odd, but surely they weren’t dangerous.

Until…

“How much do you think we spent on groceries this year?”

I just stared at David (the husband) when he asked me the question out of the blue. “Excuse me?”

I looked toward his wife, Mira, for clarification but she merely smiled slightly and remained silent.

Instead of answering right away, David stared at me hard for several long moments, and then solemnly stated, “I like you.”

At this point, I was back to being nervous. “Ummm… thank you,” I murmured, wondering if now would be a good time to make an exit. What was this couple thinking?

David looked at me hard for another few moments, glanced at his wife, evidently received the confirmation he was looking for, and then looked back at me. “We really like you.”

I didn’t know how to respond, but I was seriously doubting them liking me was a good thing. I was plotting how fast I could escape through the mountains of priceless antiques. In the midst of my thoughts, he repeated his earlier question…

“So, Ginny, how much do you think we spent on groceries this year?”

What kind of question was that? By then, I was afraid if I didn’t answer correctly, they might not like me as much, and I might not ever get out of the house.

My mind raced as I thought of potential answers. If they were asking me, it was probably because it was a low amount. It was June, so I was working with 6 months. I had gotten a glimpse of their backyard when I came in the house, and knew they didn’t have a garden – just an empty swimming pool – and none of the hundreds (perhaps thousands) of black flowerpots seemed to hold produce - just flowers. As they stared at me, my brain raced with numbers. They waited patiently for an answer.

“Uhhhh.. $1200?” I ventured. It seemed like a pretty low amount to me. I mean, who can eat off $200 a month?

Both of them threw back their heads and broke into laughter. Relieved they weren’t angry, I joined in the laughter. Until David said…

“Yes, we really like you.”

Back to that again? Were they going to lock me in a closet and never let me go? I was strong and athletic, so I was fairly confident I could overpower two old people, but still…

Mira prompted by a nod from her husband, picked up a tiny, little spiral notebook sitting on a table in the only clear space in sight, and handed it to me.

Lettuce – $1.00
Milk – $2.39
Chicken – $5.28

Total: $8.67

Silence stretched out in the room. “What is this?” I finally asked.

David laughed heartily. “This is what we spent on groceries so far this year.”

I glanced back at the list, and then looked at them closely. They both seemed to be in good health – actually, excellent health, with eyes that gleamed with life. My curiosity grew. “How?”

Mira jumped up. “We want to show you something.” She began to walk toward the kitchen.

Go deeper into the bowels of the house? What if I never came out? Would anyone ever find me?

I scolded myself for being ridiculous (I was young and reckless) and followed them.

Mary walked over to their refrigerator and opened it. I gaped as I peered at shelves STUFFED with every food you could imagine.

That did it… I was in the home of thieves. That’s probably where the plants came from… and the antiques… and…

What was I going to do? How could I turn in two silver-haired UCLA professors with kind eyes?

They laughed at the expression on my face, and then Mira grabbed my hand and pulled me into another room. There was another refrigerator, and a freezer. I knew what to expect when she opened the doors, but I still couldn’t help being shocked by the amount of food stuffed into both of them.

David finally took pity on me. “We are bin rats, Ginny.”

I could tell by the tone of his voice that he was trying to make me feel better, but his words were pinging around in a brain emptied by shock. I searched for words because I was quite certain I didn’t want to offend these people. What would happen if they stopped liking me? “Excuse me?” I finally managed.

“I think we have scared her, David,” Mira said gently.

Do you think?? I had gone beyond scared – I was standing on the edge of terror.

Mira led me over to the dining room table to explain. My two silver-haired college professors were self-proclaimed dumpster divers.

Every night they made the rounds of every grocery store dumpster they could find. Grocery stores (at least then) threw out everything that reached its expiration date – though it was still safe to eat the food for several more days. My professors loaded up all the food they could handle – making several trips a night – and then brought it home. That’s when the real work started. They sorted through the food and distributed it to homeless shelters and Food Banks in the Los Angeles area.

The food stuffed into their refrigerators and freezers was headed to a shelter that afternoon. They had delayed their delivery because David liked my voice and wanted me to have the firewood. Once they decided they really liked me, they decided to trust me with their secret. I was thrilled they realized I would appreciate the astounding gift both of them were to the world!

Remember the million-dollar homes they were surrounded by? They had decided it was the better part of wisdom to not divulge their nightly adventures to their neighbors; even though their neighbors should have crowned them as heroes!

What a relief to realize I wasn’t trapped with thieves… I was being welcomed by angels – 2 amazing human beings who weren’t content to merely recognize a problem – they were determined to be part of the solution.

Mira, a powerful Bregdan Woman, had come up with the idea. David was more than happy to partner with her.

It got better… I was working with high school students at the time. One of them, a young man named Steven, was living with me. He came from a 2-bedroom home housing 14 people. He had never had a room… never had a bed… and he didn’t eat enough. Until he moved in with me. But the other 13 people…

I told David and Mira about his family. When I left that day, my truck was loaded with free firewood and… a case of orange juice, a garbage bag full of loaves of bread, and boxes full of canned vegetables, fresh produce, whole chickens, packs of hamburger, and more. I took them straight to Steven’s family – telling them (without divulging my source) that it would all go to waste if they didn’t take it. When I left, they were excitedly planning meals.

Every week, for the remaining 18 months I lived there, I spent a day with David and Mira – ending each day with a trip to Steven’s home with all the groceries they needed. When I had to move, David took over for me.

After many moves, I lost touch with them, but the extraordinary beauty of two people who put their beliefs into action has never lost its impact on me.

Are you ready for today’s question… If you’re new to my newsletter, get used to it – I will have lots of questions!

What actions are you going to take to support your beliefs?

Do you believe that people in America shouldn’t be hungry? What are you going to do about it?

Do you believe people in your neighborhood shouldn’t be lonely? What are you going to do about it?

Do you believe America shouldn’t be dirty? What are you going to do about it?

Do you believe…?

Get the idea?

Your beliefs have no value – unless you take ACTION to change the things you believe should be better. Ask yourself the question, What am I going to do about it?

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What will you do to be a Bregdan Woman?

What will you do today to impact history??

We’re on this journey with you… (and have 2 FREE Gifts for you below…)

Ginny & Suess

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