OK, if change is so good, why is it so darn hard? Even the change of season is challengin’, and that happens four times a year! After sixty years, I’ve had some practice changin’ things over. Still, when it comes to cutting back the garden or putting flannel sheets on the bed, I always wait as long as I can before I buckle down and do it.
I finally switched my clothes over last weekend. When it looks like a bomb went off in my closet, I know it’s time. It’s a jumble ‘cause I haven’t surrendered to the inevitable. I’ve been rooting around in these two gi-normous Tupperware containers of winter clothes, pulling things out willy-nilly. The result is a mishmash of flip flops and winter shoes, summer dresses crammed up against sweaters. And it’s all a mess ‘cause my closet isn’t big enough to have more than two seasons in it at a time. Compared to Charlie, whose entire, year-round wardrobe would probably fit in a duffle bag. Where’s the justice?
Anyhoo, this year I decided to try something I saw a long time ago on Oprah. She had the declutterin’ guy on, Peter What’s-his-name? Can’t remember. He was saying that we only wear about twenty percent of our clothes. Isn’t that amazin’? In order to see what you actually wear, Peter recommended putting all your hangers in the closet, with the open part of the hanger hook facin’ front. After you wear something, you put the hanger back the other way. After a month, take a look at those hangers and it’ll tell you exactly what you’re wearing and what’s just taking up space. Cool, huh?
Peter recommends the same thing in the kitchen. How many of you have too many wooden spoons, plastic spoons and spatulas? If you’re like me, you have your favorites, and the rest have to be washed every now and then to get the dust off. Peter suggests puttin’ all your kitchen utensils in a box, and then returnin’ them where they’re supposed to go only after you use ‘em. This also sounds like a good idea, but I’ve had a hard time warmin’ up to it. See, I just can’t stomach the idea of livin’ with a jumbled box of utensils on the counter for a week or two!
‘Course, neither one of these exercises is worth tryin’ if you don’t intend to follow through. That means givin’ away the stuff you’re not wearing or the utensils you’re not usin’. To be honest, I allow myself an item or two that has some sort of sentimental value. The piece of clothin’ may not fit, but it still means something to me. Or maybe it’s some clunky utensil that’s been handed down to us from our grandparents. Other than those, I figure givin’ stuff away is a win win. I get to help others by bringing it to Goodwill or one of them thrift shops where they donate the money they make to a cause. Plus, I love shoppin’ for clothes, so I’m makin’ room in my closet for new stuff.
Occasionally, I’ll have a pang of regret over something I gave away, but this happens fewer times than you’d think. Havin’ a tidy closet counts big and any excuse to go shopping, works for me. Yup, change is good.
That’s it for now. Catch you on the flip side!
Performances and Book Events: Fall
November 1: I Married an Alien!, Merrimack College, Rogers Center for the Arts, 7:30pm, North Andover, MA
November 6: Keynote, The Moose in Me, The Moose in You!, 7th Annual Statewide Caregivers Conference, 9:15am, Concord, NH
November 16: The Best of Ida, Ogunquit Performing Arts, 7:00pm, Ogunquit, ME
November 30: Book Signing with Rebecca Rule, Kittery Trading Post, 11am-2pm, Kittery, ME
December 16: A Visit With Ida, Huntington Commons, 2:00pm, Kennebunk, ME
For details, please check out the schedule page on my website: http://www.idaswebsite.com/schedule
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