Closet Calamity
My daughter Allison came for a visit last weekend. We were long overdue for some quality mother-daughter time. After a few coffees and some girl talk, we decided to take a tour through my over-flowing closets.
I have been accumulating clothes and shoes , jewellery and purses for many years. Like most women, I have 3 complete wardrobes. There are my skinny clothes and my fat clothes. Then there are my transition outfits, for the times when I am either gaining or losing weight. 70% of the pieces just stay in the closet year after year. Some items still have the price tags. Then there are the favourites: a few select outfits that I wear over and over again. The challenge is to figure out why. What is it about those items that attract me? And why am I keeping all the rest?
After being called a “semi-hoarder” I knew a major purge was needed. Every closet in this 3+ bedroom house was full. Every hanger was in use. Every shelf was crammed with stuff. I wondered where it all came from and how it ended up here? Realizing that it all cost money at one time made me determined never to buy anything for the rest of my life. I have more than I will ever need or want. (I’m sounding more like my mother every day).
We started our downsizing project in the living room. We had 3 choices: keep, donate or trash. Every item was scrutinized. Allison was very patient with me as I gave some lame excuses for keeping things.
Our conversations went something like this: “Mom, why are you saving those boots from 1993?” “Umm…well, they still fit and the soles are in good shape and they have come back in style..”
And then, “Mom, what are you going to do with all those Star Trek trading cards?”. “Umm, I’m going to sell them at the Star Trek Convention in Las Vegas…” to which she replied “Really mom? You’re going to tote them on a plane and carry them around?” The idea didn’t sound too promising at that point.
And finally, “Mom, how many of these old sweaters have you worn in the last 5 years?” I remembered my super heated menopausal body and realized I haven’t worn a single one. Cotton blouses ruled, even in the middle of winter.
My voice trailed off as my arguments lost their conviction. We kept filling up the bags. Slowly, we got to my underwear drawer.
There were 50 bras and 2 drawers full of pantyhose. “How many bras do you need and when was the last time you wore pantyhose?” My response was that the bras were on sale and the pantyhose are waiting for the revival of my social life which I assume will magically reappear when I retire and move to Edmonton.
Then suddenly I realized I had the answers to my previous questions. Sometimes we hold onto things because they remind us of a past experience. Sometimes we keep things because they hold the promise of a better future. Sometimes we just fill a need by filling our shelves.
By the time we wrapped up our mission, we had 7 large recycling bags and a half dozen boxes full of my former treasures. Even with all that stuff gone, my closets still look full. The only clue to the weekend purge is the occasional empty hanger.
The Goodwill people were very pleased with my donations. I’m so glad that my cast-offs will be put to use instead of sitting in a dark closet gathering dust. I feel lighter somehow, as if a load has been lifted and I made a promise to continue to “Reorganize, Prioritize and Downsize” and I encourage all of you to do the same.
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