Thursday, May 22, 2008

Old Friends

This week I said goodbye to some old friends. These friends were not people. I am not sure just why it was so difficult to say goodbye to these old friends, it shouldn’t have been. They were just shirts. I have had a number of Hawaiian style shirts that have been in my closet for a pretty long time. I guess it is a matter of common expectation that one will get a little larger over a period of 15 years. Until this weekend I wasn’t sure just how much larger I had become. See, a few years ago, and some of the shirts in my closet would have verified this, I wore a size medium shirt. Sometime along the way, it became necessary for me to move up a shirt size, to large. Then somehow, the large shirts started feeling a little confining, so out of concern for that feeling on confinement (certainly not because I had become larger, just needed more room) I began buying some XL shirts. They felt so good on that I bought a couple of XXL shirts. That means that I had some medium, some large, a ton of XL and a couple of XXL shirts residing in my closet. How embarrassing it was when I realized how many of the shirts that were just hanging in my closet, I haven’t worn for who knows how many years. I decided that I would get rid of the shirts that I no can longer wear. Little did I realize that such a large percentage of my shirts would be taking the trip to DI.

Now I really don’t consider myself a sentimental person. But each shirt I picked up had some kind of memory associated with it. Hence, I was saying goodbye to an old friend with each shirt that hit the bag. This was not one of those sob sob cry cry kind of moments. Just the realization that some of these shirts, regardless of what kind of memories they had associated with them, were no longer worth keeping (Kay says that if I haven’t worn them in 6 months I probably don’t really need them). I haven’t gone down a size, even once, in the time that I have been in Vegas. I figure that it is unlikely that I ever will. In the interest of making more room in my closet, the logical thing to do was get rid of clothes that I couldn’t wear. I have to admit that my closet looks so much better than it did. I have so much more room. Do you know that the walls in my closet were the same color as the walls in my bedroom were? I wasn’t so sure that was the case.

Just a sideline here. I had 4 suits in my closet that I had been holding onto, figuring sometime, just maybe I would loose some weight and get back to those sizes (Well maybe it was really just wishful thinking.). Well that ain’t happening. They went into bag as well.

7 comments:

Nigel Flannery Livingston said...

I have 27 pairs of jeans that I refuse to throw away.

Carlee Hoopes said...

I feel for ya! I have never been good at throwing clothes out. They carry along with them memories for me, as well as a feeling of "What if I need to wear this someday?" About once a year Kory gets an itch to get rid of things, so to the closet we go, and I end up having to part with some old friends as well. It's really hard on me the first hour or so, wondering if I should really get rid of it, but a few days later I don't even remember what I tossed out. And, there has maybe only been one time where later on I wished I had not tossed something. So, it's the nature of the beast. I have a problem getting rid of things too, but it must be done. :)

Michelle said...

At least once a year I make myself go through my closet and if I haven't worn an article of clothing that year I get rid of it. If, for some reason, I hesitate and think that I might one day need it, I wear it to work that week. Usually I don't like the way I look in it for the whole day and that forces me to make the decision to get rid of it. Though it is hard to get rid of things like that, it's also cleaning...I know it sounds weird but I really love the "clean" and clutter-free look of my closet once I purge it.

Michelle said...

I thought I posted a commment here the other day. Don't know what happened to it.

Anyway, you have inspired me to do the same. I know I have at least a few items in my closet that I have had since high school. And a large number of things I haven't worn since I got pregnant with Jake. Of course my hope has always been to get back down to the sze I was before Jake, but after this many years I guess I will have to be happy where I am and get rid of those things. I know Mike would be happy if my closet was less crowded.

Kay B. Pierce said...

Believe it or not, I have a hard time getting rid of clothes too. I always think "I can wear that just to do yard work in." I do try and get rid of things that don't fit. They are just an ugly reminder of what I should be able to wear. Anyway, I'm proud of you for being able to part with so many things since I have come into your life.

One Big Happy Family said...

So...what you are telling me is...me holding onto the pre-pregnancy clothes I wore over 26 years ago isn't a realistic dream for today!!!!!!

Larry said...

Dear One Big Happy Family,
I can't speak for you but for me, I have lost very little weight in 26 years myself. It was just wishful thinking to anticipating getting back into a medium size shirt.

I hope that you can be more successful that I if you elect not to dispose of those items that you have held onto for 26 years. At any rate, best wishes to you in your efforts. I hear that styles recycle every 26 years or so, so you might be OK

LP