clear it out

In keeping with my itsy bitsy organizational goal of cleaning out one drawer per day, today I cleaned out one of my dresser drawers. It was the underwear drawer. I had garments in there from my mission. Let’s see, that was…16 years and more than 16 pounds ago, do you think they are going to still fit? Why in the world are they still there? Oh, I know. Because it’s a pain to dispose of them. Well, they are now out of the drawer. It was nice to put sports bras and other underwear in there, along with some t-shirts. Hooray!

In the spirit of cleaning it out and letting go of things I don’t wear anymore, I emptied out a big rubbermaid that has been sitting in the way back of my closet for…well, since we moved here. What’s in it? It’s my “skinny clothes.” You know, (because I’ll bet you have a few skinny clothes saved, too, don’t you?) those clothes that used to fit and hopefully will someday fit again? Yeah, you have some. Everyone does, right? That is, unless you are a guy (guys don’t save skinny clothes, as far as I know), or you are already skinny, and currently wearing your skinny clothes. Well, I opened up that big box to see what was even in there. You know what I found? 6 pairs of pants that were either tapered leg or pleated front, and if I’ve learned anything from the show What not to Wear, it’s that NOBODY looks good in tapered leg pants or pleats in the front. So, out they went. There were a couple of sweaters and shirts that even if they fit I wouldn’t wear them, and a jumper that I sewed and probably would never wear again. At the bottom of the box, I found my all time favorite denim jumper, but out it went.

I only saved a few things from that box. One was a shirt that I had bought in Germany that I used to just love. I still kind of love it, but I don’t know if I love it because it’s a nice shirt, or because I have good memories of it. I allowed it to return to the box. Then there were 3 dresses that I just had to save. One was a dress that I wore when I lost weight a few children ago. It’s pink and it’s simple, and I think it was kind of expensive for me at the time. I’m keeping it. One was the black dress that Melinda and her grandmother made for me to wear as her bridesmaid when she got married. I know what you are thinking–why would I possibly want to save a bridesmaid dress? But this one is so pretty, and I looked SO cute in it way back when, that I just can’t get rid of it. Ask Melinda if you don’t believe me. The last dress is the dress I bought to wear on the day we were married. Not the wedding dress, but the dress you wear to the temple, and then to the breakfast afterwards. Not getting rid of that. Besides it being a WAY cute dress, I can keep it for as long as I want, and it makes me happy that it’s still there in the box.

I have a big box of things to go to DI, and I’m happy about getting rid of some things, at least, even if my emotional attachment to clothes won’t let me get rid of everything that doesn’t fit me.