So, we just came home from a few days away. I just love time away.
It’s always good to go to new and different places. Even if it’s just a different place to lay my head at night and the town is not new to me. It gives me a chance to recharge and to rethink things. Sometimes it’s just about removing myself from the day to day stress. Sometimes it’s about catching some rays. Sometimes it’s about the people that are going to be where I’m going. Conferences, true down time, reflection weekends, time to explore, any reason to change my scenery is a good one.
When I’m home I always look at what I have brought home with me. I am not a huge souvenir person. I really don’t need a t-shirt that tells me where I just was. I don’t need a tacky ‘chachki’ to collect dust that I saw in every shop I went into. But I love to bring home something from each time away. If it’s a new city, we like to find a Starbucks and grab a mug. I will try to bring home something that will make me think about that particular trip but it doesn’t have to be labeled from any particular city. If I pick up a pair of shoes, dress, watch, purse, whatever, I will remember the trip.
So, coming home from our last little getaway, I picked up a cute pen. Nothing fancy, but on the drive home I spent some time studying it and thinking about our time away. I started thinking about other things that I have kept as souvenirs and maybe for the wrong reasons.
We have moved a couple times in the last few years. We have purged each time but each time there has been a couple of boxes of clothes that I have moved. I won’t ever wear them again, in fact, I likely won’t ever take them out of their box except to look at them, refold them, then put them right back. So, why have I kept them?
The reason is simple, they are in some form or another, a souvenir.
They bring back memories.
- They make me happy, like my kids’, baby clothes.
- They make me feel loved, like my wedding dress.
- They make feel nostalgic like my old softball jacket.
- They make me feel like I have hope, like my skinny pants.
- They make me feel sad, like my old fat pants.
I am all for keeping things that bring good emotions to the surface, but why am I keeping my fat pants? Most days, the reason is that I never want to be that big again. Its motivation to keep to the progress and not to let myself slide back into them. That is all good, except for the days that I feel fat. I still have days where I am just going to eat these feelings away and slide back into those comfortable fat pants. The pants don’t judge, they won’t be too tight, and I can just stop judging myself. Or will I? If keeping the fat pants works for good motivation, great, but if not, then please, get rid of them. The idea of keeping them for the before and after pic is fine, but take that pic and move on. Don’t let those “old thoughts” creep back into the “new” you.
Why am I keeping the skinny pants? I know why I bought them, I was going to be so good to myself and use these as motivation, but that time has come and gone. If you have skinny pants or what I call “ 5 lbs clothes”, I will fit into them when I lose ONLY 5 lbs, and they are collecting dust or you can’t remember when you got them, it’s time to let them go. Think about how these pants make you feel. Do they still make you feel hopeful? Or do they make you kick yourself in your own butt because you are still fighting with that last 5 lbs. Or you are still so far from those last 5 lbs that they will be out of style before you wear them?
So when you go shopping, keep in mind your reasons for buying that piece of clothing. If you don’t love it in the change room, you won’t wear it at home. If you haven’t worn something in your closet this season, then it’s time to pass it on to somebody else who will wear it.
Keep your souvenirs to things that give you nothing but good feelings unconditionally.
I'm like every other woman: a closet full of clothes, but nothing to wear: So I wear jeans. – Cameron Diaz
