Clothes

I don’t think that I’m alone in this.  Parting with clothes is not easy for me.  Obviously, it is neither a manageable task for my oldest, my daughter!

I don’t like to separate from the time when something fit me, looked good on me, or provided me with convenience or fashion.  I don’t like to say goodbye, even to clothes.  I think you are getting the idea, after all, I’m blogging about this “goodbye” topic after all!

This daughter leaves on Thursday, and we still haven’t packed a single garment.  More importantly, we haven’t recycled or discarded one garment either!

Thinking about this in a dream last night (yes, I dreamed about clothes), I realized that her lime-green bathing suit and gaudy striped sun dress from childhood are gone.  They’ve disappeared, so I guess we were able to let go.  This is a good aspiration, as it means that clothes have actually moved out of this house!

When the clothes are gone, then time has actually moved forward.  If no one will wear them without a mannequin, they are just taking up space.

Here we are at time and space again!

Clothes are great reminders of moments in time.

When my mother died, I had to clean out her closets. It was the clothes (and the jewelry) that brought me back to being with her.  These things allowed me to be in her presence.  I’ve kept some pins, necklaces, and even sweaters (that don’t really fit me) so that I can be with her again.

I think I’ll keep something.  Maybe my daughter’s prom dress reminds me of the day we went to get her make-up done at the counter at a local department store, and I realized she really is a woman.  Maybe her first coaching shirt, to remind me of the day I saw her strength and bossiness as a gift, not a problem!  Maybe I’ll keep a tailored blouse to remind me that she isn’t really very different than me and that sometimes looking the “part” is what we all do, despite our objections to being comparable to others.

Either way, clothes will be packed, rejected, and reclaimed this week.  Clothes that, oddly enough, will remain in my dreams.