1Remember that dreaded day once or twice a year when Mom would make us try on EVERY single piece of clothing we had? In a marathon day of agony and misery, we would cull out the clothes that were too small, too short, or too no longer our favorites, and we would box them up and ship them to Ashley. Remember that day? That’s what I’m doing today.
When Josh moved out of Milo, he had been living there for six years. I kind of challenged him to move out during a stalling point in our relationship; after all, I would never even consider having kids in that building or that neighborhood, so if he wasn’t ever willing to leave it, that would decide our future as a couple for me. When I told Mom he was moving out, she didn’t quite know what to say, acknowledging Josh had a LOT of stuff. But he did it! In a massive feat of ruthless culling, he threw out nearly two thirds of what he owned and packed up the rest in boxes that he moved to Cleveland.
This week, after three months away from his belongings, he came back to collect his most important things and ship them to Oregon. When his Portland co-worker warned him that he wouldn’t want most of his stuff, he had trouble believing it. But his friend insisted, once you’re away from your stuff for a while, you’ll have trouble remembering why any of it mattered to you. Boy, was he right!
Josh and I spent a few hours sifting through his things in the basement in Cleveland this weekend, and there was very little he wanted. I think he was seeing a lot of it for the first time for what it was/is—dusty, outdated junk from his former life—a life he had moved several thousand miles away from just to put it behind him! In total he chose his bicycle, his flat screen tv, his drills and his favorite tools from his grandfather. That was it.
When it came to clothes, Josh was even more surprised. He wanted nearly none of his clothes, the majority of which he realized didn’t fit. So on Tuesday night, on the spur of the moment, we went shopping. And we had great success! He got new shoes, three new shirts, three new button down shirts, and three new pairs of chino pants. You could tell by the look on his face that new clothes made him look the way he is starting to feel: better about himself and his job and his future. It was fun, and exciting!
So, after this experience and months of reading Myrtle, I’m up early today with a ruthless eye. Sometimes I moan about “Where did all of these clothes come from?” but I know the answer and it is easy: 2003. I’m afraid that I’ve tried on more than one outfit today that shouts “I’m 19!” Even though this is funny to me, it’s also sad because I am certain that I bought many of these clothes when I was excited to be 19!
My ground rules for today are: 1. If the color is great but the fit is bad, it goes. 2. If the fit is great, but the fabric is flimsy or worn out, it goes. 3. If I haven’t worn it in over two years, it goes. 4. If I feel ugly when I put it on (yes I am trying everything on in front of a full length mirror… BRUTAL), it goes. And last and most horrifying, 5. If I have a memory of wearing it with Matt, it goes (that was over five years ago folks!). In the first hour, I’ve gone through four DRAWERS of clothing, and I have three pairs of shorts, two cardigans, and three tee shirts in the keep pile. That’s it! Yikes!
If I can keep it up for two more hours and I can get rid of at least four moving boxes of clothes, I am going to reward myself by going window shopping with a strict “What Not to Wear List.” From just an hour of seeing what is falling into the discard pile, I already know what rules Stacy and Clinton would put on my list:
- No skirts below the knee or more than 4 inches above the knee
- No tops with a high neck, a boatneck, or a wide U
- Nothing that is too tight or too short on my long torso
- No fabric that is “sheer” or “floaty”
- Proper structuring and quality fabric are your friends!
I have a job. I have savings. I have allergies from all the dust and crap in my house. There has got to be clothing out there that can look better on me than this! Maybe it can even say “I’m 27.” :)
