Twice A Year Limbo and I Hate All Of My Clothes

Because I live in the North Pole, I have to do something as an adult that I never had to do as a child growing up in South Florida.  I have to swap out my winter and summer clothing.

Now if you have never lived north of the states of Florida or Texas or some other hot location, this might be a foreign concept to you.  But for most of us, it's just what you do ever spring and fall.  You take all of the clothing you've been wearing for months and rearrange it somehow.  You either move it to storage bins or move it to the back of your closet or under the bed or...you get it.  You shift your stuff.

I'm only just now getting around to this task.  And by getting around to it, let me be really nekkid and explain to you how this works for me.

For the months of April and May, when we have a few hot days and then lots of cool, rainy days and then one super hot day and then then six days that require a puffy vest, I will pull summer clothing out of their storage tubs.  So by the time June rolls around, I have a stack or three of random warm weather clothing items that gather in the chair.  You know the chair.  It's that one place in your bedroom where all the things pile up.  A chair or dresser or table or sofa or corner spot...we all have one.  Or we better all have one.  We definitely cannot be friends if you don't have a spot somewhere in your life that collects all the things that are seemingly homeless.  

Anyway...June rolls around and I finally make time to swap out my clothing.  But then I play a few games.  Not fun games.  But still...games.  

The first is called Will I Need To Wear This During The Next Four Months?  To play it, you create a whole new pile of clothing that you might or might not need between now and the next clothing swap. Cardigans.  I could wear them.  But will I have a need to wear all 20 that I own?  Doubtful.  I might might need one.  Maybe two.  But not 20.  So which four will I keep out {you know I wasn't going to be anything close to practical and just reserve two...right}?  How about long sleeved polo shirts and jeans?  I will definitely wear jeans over the summer.  But will I wear the jeans that I never even wore this past winter?  No...definitely no.  But will I keep them out anyway?  Absolutely.  Even the ones that you haven't worn in two years?  That you don't really like but are nice so you've hung onto them just in case because you never know when some nice in the store but ugly on you denim shortage might pop up in the world?  Yup...those stay, too.

The second game is called If I Lose 10 Pounds.  To play it, I try on all the things that fit me last year and depressingly do not fit me this year.  I can get into them but I would never wear them in public.  Because getting into something and fitting well into something are two different things.  And then I ask myself, if I just lose 10 lbs, will I fit in these shorts?  And the bonus round happens with, will I actually lose 10 lbs or if I lose 10 lbs, will I want to wear these shorts.  

I usually end up near tears and eating ice cream by the end of this particular game.  Because then on top of the battle to fit into clothing, I will inevitably declare that I hate all of my clothing.  All of it.  New pieces and favorite old Lilly pieces and white t-shirts and everything in between.  I will suddenly hate it all.

I know I regularly say that adulting is hard, but I manage to take it to the next level with break downs inside my own closet.  

I have been in a big purge mood lately.  But realizing so many things that fit me last summer do not fit me this summer, despite exercising more in the past year than I have in my entire life and trying lately to really be so conscious of my calorie intake has taken a toll on my mood.  

By the end of the weekend, the swap will be done.  All the boots and sweaters will be tucked away.  All the items that will never fit or that I will never again wear that I can bring myself to part with, will be dropped off at the donation site.  Come hell or high water, the chair will be empty by Sunday night.  

Hold me to it.  

I want to start next week fresh.  All the summer clothes that fit me will be at my fingertips.  Happy, bright summer colors for days!  And my body...well I'm working on that too.  I probably need to de clutter the pile in my mind before I can make any real progress though.

One project a time.  And this weekend, the clothing swap WILL BE COMPLETED.  

Happy Friday, friends!

XOKK