Sometimes I think what I own owns me. This is not a new thought, but it is a current one. Like many of my readers, I am in the process of cleaning out; clothes, collectibles, and stuff. I have long since known that I have too much.  And I have also known how hard it is for me to part with it. I know where the problem comes from, and how deep it is. So, my process of cleaning out is slow. But I am in process.

The season of Lent started a couple of days ago.  One person’s suggestion for Lent is to remove one clothes item from our closet each day for the forty days of Lent, put the items in a bag, and give them away. When I look at my closet, this is quite doable. While my closet and drawers are packed to the gills, I mainly wear the ten to twenty items that are closest to my closet door. These are the clothes that I am most comfortable in, and that fit me the best. So why am I holding on to the other 90%? The answer isn’t too complicated.

Chairs I recently parted with, and I miss them! (I love chairs!)

Some of the clothes that I am holding onto that I am not wearing are ones that I hope to be able to fit into again when my current weight loss plan is successful. If I continue on my current path, that will be by June 1. Then, (hopefully) I will no longer be able to wear the clothes I am currently wearing! Unless, that is, I slip back into old behavior patterns. But will I get rid of the clothes that will no longer fit? That remains to be seen.

There are too many clothes that I am holding onto that I haven’t worn in many years. Yes, many years, and some of you also have some clothes in that category! If I haven’t worn these clothes in many years, what is the likelihood that I will ever wear them again? Little to none. So, why have I not already parted ways with these clothes? I think it is because I have not accepted that I need to. Until now. It is a major time commitment to clear out one’s closet. To do the job well requires taking everything out of the closet and refusing to put anything back in that isn’t being worn frequently. I am not yet quite ready for the task, but I will be soon. In the meantime, I have made some commitments about beginning the process.

Our grandson Drew’s first birthday, with Dad Johnathan and Mom Chatham.

First of all, no new clothes will be bought or brought into my spaces until a total closet cleanout is done, and until I have finished my weight loss plan. What I have been wearing is sufficient for three more months. Yes, spring and summer will come within this time period, but I have plenty of clothes for each season.

I will take out one item of clothes each day during Lent, put them in a bag, and give them away. Not take them to the consignment shop. Give them away. This will accomplish more than cleaning out my closet.

As difficult as cleaning out my closet will be, it will be far easier than cleaning out and clearing out my collectibles and other stuff. I have begun that process, and it is painful. But necessary.

Changing Me From The Inside Out.