Thursday, September 27, 2012
15 Days of Fall: Day 6
What If....
What if those extra pieces just didn't fit right?
What if I was going to lose weight, eventually?
What if I like the memory of this shirt I haven't fit into in years?
What if I would feel guilty to get rid of this piece because...?
Am I getting close?
If you really cannot give the piece away because it serves a function in your regular life... what would it take to replace it with a piece that performs the same function AND looks fabulous? Write down what the ideal piece looks like in your "shopping list". I give you permission to hold on to it, but ONLY until you find that awesome replacement and THEN you need to give it away.
For everything else... I recommend that sentimental pieces be stored as sentimental pieces, not in your closet.
Last summer I took sentimental pieces out of my closet and stored two t-shirts while taking about 15 pieces out, snapping a picture of them, and donating it to my Salvation Army.
It was a lot of baggage I was keeping from previous life events. I didn't fit in those pieces any more. Those pieces didn't fit my lifestyle, my hips or my daily life any more. By taking those pieces out of my closet it helped me realize that it's one thing to look through dresses that belong in Spring when it is cold outside... it's another thing when it just doesn't belong in my closet.
Guilt. I also gave away pieces from my grandmother. My grandfather finally started giving away grandma's clothes after she passed. He gave many pieces to me after he carefully selected them and put thought into how they would look on me as a young woman. The pieces were muted shades, browns and they were... ok. Not bad...
I used a few long sleeved jean shirts for gardening, grandma's paint pants for my own projects and a few of her jackets were actually retro and in style again.
Then I found Shari... the eh.. ok pieces like the browns, muted shades and styles that didn't give a waist were put into the car and driven to the local shelter. They were impeccably kept pieces, well made pieces that would bless another woman.
Shari's teachings helped me get rid of my guilt for letting "Grandma" go. But I wasn't letting her go, just her clothes. I wasn't upsetting my Grandpa either... he was simply trying to be helpful and to give someone the opportunity to be blessed with the clothes.
I think it's crazy how much stress holding onto a shirt caused me. Or to a dress where so many fun memories happened. Giving the pieces away wasn't giving away the experience, it was just passing along a memento of my past to someone else. The pieces I gave away were loved when I was younger, but haven't seen much love in recent years. It felt good to let them go.
Grab your camera, your garbage bags, and notepad.
Take some pictures and let your favorite memories stay alive through you. Jot down some things that made you smile or experiences that changed your life.
Everything you can should go into the car today.
We are here to listen if you want some extra encouragement.
I am proud of you ladies for taking a good hard look at your earthly "things" today.
~ Laura ~
Tomorrow will be much more fun.
We will be chatting about Socks and Underwear!
The most entertaining (family friendly) present to talk about at Christmas time.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
Thank you for donating to The Salvation Army. We are able to help many people in God's name when others give. Also I love to read your blog and like your book Good Girls Don't Have To Dress Bad with my daughters.
This is SO true! Often we hang on to things for sentimental reasons (I'm actually hanging on to my son's graduation robe!!!! - isn't the picture of him in it enough?) I need to let more things go. I can usally do okay with most things, but those that are connected to my sons, not so easy! But thanks for the 'permission' :) I'm going to catch up this weekend and plan to take my things to Goodwill so another lady who needs them can be excited to walk in the store and find something cool! That's always a great feeling, to have helped! Karen
That’s interesting you mentioned sentimental pieces in today’s post. Yesterday I found a shirt that I have kept for many years and still will keep; it’s leaving the closet and going into my cedar chest. Thanks for the idea of keeping sentimental clothing with other memories!
My sentimental piece is a blue velvet dress. I got my first blue velvet dress when I was 13, and had my first pair of heels to go with it! That dress is long gone, but I still have the blue velvet dress I got at 23. That's the one I wore during my first fancy date with my now husband, on stage during our church's Christmas performances, and just otherwise felt fabulous in. I thought I would get a new blue velvet dress at 33 (I should need a new one at least every 10 years, eh?) but I was pregnant with my second child then. I do have a blue pouffy dress I wore as Matron of Honor to my sister's wedding when I was 33 (and 4 months pregnant), but that one doesn't work for any other occasion. I think maybe I am holding on to my 23-year blue velvet dress in hopes that my after children body can someday go back to the before children stage? Phooey on that one! Maybe I'm waiting until the next blue velvet dress stage. But I'm 36 already. Maybe when I'm 43 I will have lost enough weight, my kids will be old enough that we can get out on dates more, who knows. Until I replace it, I think I need to keep this blue velvet dress. After all, Elvis got his blue suede shoes, surely I can have a thing for blue velvet dresses? Isn't there a song that goes, "She wore blue velvet..."
I was going to ask about having children and that post-baby shape too! The past two years I've either been pregnant or breastfeeding, and now after having had my second child 5 months ago, I am despairing of ever fitting into my pre-baby clothes again! I have a whole wardrobe I'm dying to fit into again, and I expect that once I finish breastfeeding my body will at least sort of go back to its old shape... but since my size/shape has been changing CONSTANTLY for the past two years, I find it so hard to follow the advice to get rid of anything that doesn't fit! What advice do you have for those of us in a state of flux? Does ANYONE ever get back to their pre-baby shape or size? Am I fooling myself to think I can ever fit into my favorite clothes again? Help!
Post a Comment