It’s all about joy!

Last week, I decided to change my winter wardrobe over to spring. That’s a pretty easy switch because I don’t have a lot of clothes. Still, it requires putting away a few pairs of corduroys, heavy tweed and wool pants and replacing them with chinos, linen pants and a few skirts.

I’m not sure about you, but despite my tenacity to donate what I don’t wear the instant I realize it’s been sitting untouched for more than a couple of months, I still have those “just in case” items I hold on to. They tend to be nicer, one-of-a-kind things purchased years ago that are too big for me now. One was a beautiful handknit J. Crew wool sweater I always received tons of compliments on. Another was a nice pair of Ann Taylor dress pants that, when they fit, looked fantastic. Still another was a beautiful lambswool and cashmere turtleneck sweater that, because of the lambswool, always felt too itchy to wear.

I also had a couple pairs of “skinny” pants that I purchased a year and a half ago after my regular pants started falling off of me. I’d lost some weight, and apparently more than I realized because without a belt, all it took was a firm tug and my old pants came right off. I tried a few of those “skinny” pants on again last week, but they were a tad, uh, snug. J

In the past on this blog, I’ve talked a lot about releasing and giving things away (viewpoints, people, possessions, etc.) in order to let newness in. Well that’s what I decided to do when I changed my wardrobe over. I took two big bags and filled them with those “just in case” items I’d been holding on to. In some regards, it was easy (I’m happy to say that itchy sweater no longer haunts me!). In other cases, it was harder. That J. Crew sweater was a tough donation. I remember when I bought that sweater: I was 14, and adored J. Crew. Every few months when the catalog came I’d pour through it and pick out one or two things I absolutely loved. We didn’t have a lot of money when I was younger, so my grandmother helped us out by buying me clothes. However, J. Crew was beyond our means. So, instead she’d let me charge one or two things to her credit card every few months and then pay her back as I earned enough money to do so. The day that sweater arrived, I felt like someone. It was $88 (back in 1990), and incredibly unique. The first day I wore it to school, one of the coolest kids (Trevor Black, a senior with a keen eye for fashion and a fellow J. Crew aficionado) commented on it. I was in heaven!

Alas, it’s now in someone else’s hands and hopefully they’ll enjoy it as much as I did.

On a lighter note, the other thing that struck me as I gave away those skinny pants that no longer fit was that in doing so, I let myself off the hook. Rather than holding on to those pants and thinking, “If I just work out harder and eat a little less, I’ll fit into them again,” I released myself by releasing those pants. I don’t need that kind of pressure or guilt related to how good I think I need to be (or how thin, pretty, popular, <insert adjective here>). By keeping those pants, I was not only holding on to a reminder of who I used to be, but I was dishonoring who I am today. I was subconsciously reinforcing that I’m not good enough the way I am. I was also unconsciously telling myself that if only I do X, Y, or Z, I may some day be as good as I was back then.

Nonsense!

The most important moment in my life is now, and I decided to celebrate who I am now by giving away the parts of my wardrobe - and life - that simply don’t fit any more.

Great joy, indeed!