TUESDAY TUESDAY TUESDAY! One day only at the Postma Arena! You won't want to miss the fight of the century! It's Amish Mama versus Crammed Closet, and only one of them is leaving the ring standing up. We'll sell you the whole seat, but you'll only need the edge...
I had every intention of weeding through my makeup case until I opened my closet and had a small breakdown (which may or may not have ended in an ugly scene involving me and a pint of Ben and Jerry's... but mostly may). How can I have an entire closet full of clothes, but feel like I have nothing to wear? I have no time for these shennanigans. It's moments like these when I very seriously consider A Uniform. Albert Einstein had seven identical suits. Amish women (and plain dressing women of other faiths) often only have 3-5 dresses total. The women of The Uniform Project go for a whole month (one went a whole year!!) with two identical dresses (and whatever accessories they've got in their closet). It got me thinking - would severely limiting my choices free me up in some way?
OK closet, bring it! I decided to limit myself to seven of some things, two of others. Seven: pairs of pants, shirts, sweaters, skirts/dresses, necklaces, pairs of shoes. Two: pairs of leggings (which I wear to teach), pairs of earrings, nice dresses, you get the idea. I did the same for my spring/summer clothes. It was harder than I thought it would be! I even found myself making up extra categories, like Seven Things with Polka Dots and Seven Things with Rock Band Names On Them. I took the remainders and asked myself:
- have I worn it in a year?
- does it fit?
- if there was a hurricane/flood/fire/baby vomit episode and this item was ruined, would I be really sad? Would I buy it again?
- does it have way too much glitter for your 36 year old self to pull off?
I packed away the remaining pile into one trunk to be dipped into as clothes wear out, the rest are being Freecycled. Ultimately, I'm toying with the idea of whittling down to seven outfits. Period. But I'm not there yet! I can say that, when I opened my closet after The Purge, I felt a profound sense of relief and lightness. Isn't it weird that too many choices weigh us down? Here's a good article on exactly this. I like this whole "seven" thing, and I think I'll do more of it.
On another note, you're all geniuses and total whizzes in the kitchen. You've been making: ice cream, mustards, nut & rice milks, flavored vinegars, tomato sauce, jams & jellies, nut butters, sauces and marinades galore, pickles, and so much more. You guys are all so inspiring!!!! I'm going to keep on going with this, adding one thing at a time. I made black bean burgers last night instead of buying the frozen premade ones. There's clearly a learning curve, but I saved about $3 by doing them myelf! Win. AND the hubby & behbeh liked them. Win again.
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