... that I have nothing to wear. And yet I can stand in front of my closet full of clothes and think/say that. Lately I've been contemplating what it means to live a life of abundance. There is a laundry list of things I want, but there's nothing I need. I remember the first time I came back from China and felt nauseous at how much stuff I had.
I would love to return to a life of simplicity and satisfaction. I had this crazy idea that I'd like to commit to in theory but am scared to in actuality. I wondered what life would be like if I didn't purchase any new clothes for a year. I have plenty of clothes to last me more than a year. Probably too much, actually.
The other reason I'd want to implement this idea is because I've noticed that I think clothes will get people to like me. When I was meeting new people during New Student Outreach, I considered my wardrobe more carefully and dressed to impress.
I thought of people I know who aren't so fashionable but win others over with their quality of character... and I wondered if I was compensating for character with external appearances. I wondered if I didn't have updated clothes, would it help grow my character? I'm not going to wear a potato sack for this experiment - just what I already own.
A year isn't that long, but perhaps long enough for me to feel outdated, especially working with college students. I haven't made the plunge yet... I'm scared I'll go back on the commitment. I guess I want to make sure I'm ready for it. It could be interesting to blog about.
In reality, I don't think it will be that big of a deal. I bet nobody will even notice anything about my clothes. I think my reluctance to enter into it just shows me how much value I'm putting in my external appearance. Perhaps I'll give myself a deadline to decide... what about a week?
5 comments:
I remember when you didn't shop for one year awhile back. Probably when you just got back from China? Boy.. I'd have such a hard time. Thanks for sharing these thoughts.. definitely makes me think.
I think you should give it a go. You can break the rule if you get a job or something, but i think you could do it...think of how much money you could save!
ooo challenging. danggg. you're still peggy whether you wear cute tops or paper bags. :)
I think the hardest thing about that is fighting this need to have something "new." I should know this because I have a drobe that borders the size of my quadmate's closet freshmen year (she spent up to $100 on clothes every month accoring to herself).
Maybe it would be nice to have a clothing swap party if you seriously want something in the middle of this challenge?
Haha! I ended up doing this for a year or two inadvertantly since our mortgage ate up so much of our income. It got to where I was wearing out clothes (since i had bought cheap stuff at old navy and the outlets) and finally needed more - but trying to be good about it still. Looking dated is definitely somethign you have to give up. Also, my coworker wanted me to dress more professionally (uh, part time job in Davis making no money? yeah right...) which was difficult to hear. but he has different values than I do...and a smaller mortgage and bigger paycheck. :) I think its a great idea though - its a good way to test our values!
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