BECOMING A HORSE OF A Different Color

Words by Beth Diane Bradley

Ihave a confession to make. I’m a clothes horse. And one on-going problem I have is a crowded closet – or stable if you will -- yet I keep adding to it.

Occasionally, it’s time to be ruthless and purge everything that no longer works―like that ruffled multi-colored blouse that gave me a bad case of buyer's remorse as soon as I brought it home. How could I forget I’m allergic to ruffles? And colors that bold should only be seen on highway flaggers or deer hunters.

I’ve recently tossed things I’ve been hanging on to since National Velvet graced the silver screen. I kept them in case they came back in style, or I found something new to go with them. But I decided to dig deeper this time, and it felt great. Gaucho pants, mini-skirts―okay, I might be pulling your leggings a bit―but I did unearth some relics from the past.

Today it occurred to me I’ve been doing the same thing with myself for the past few months. It’s almost like each item of clothing I gave away corresponded with some trait in my personality that no longer fits.

I need to have faith I will have the means to go shopping and buy a new sweater if I need one, because if something doesn’t work, I should let it go. I need to trust I have enough clothes to wear, considering my career as a super model never really took off.

When I think of my closet minus those old relics, it seems symbolic I truly am leaving the past behind. I’d like to think of it as shedding some of my perfectionism, or self-doubt perhaps, that never matched a thing―and maybe some of that self-pity that was too tight. I don’t have the accessories to go with that pride anyway, so I tossed it in the pile as well. And that envy was such an ugly shade of green.

I know I have to make closet cleaning a regular habit. Both my closets and my life get cluttered and messy and frustrating―and then it’s time to push the reset button, or Google how to make a closet bomb.

So what should I do with all those empty hangers? Not a problem. I’ve heard gaucho pants will be back in style this spring. I bet you a pound of sugar cubes there’s a clearance sale just around the corner.