There are two types of people in this world: those who think cleaning out closets is a chore, and those who consider this project one of life\u2019s most satisfying events. I\u2019m in the latter camp. I live in an older home built in the 1960s and to say my closet is the size of a shoebox isn\u2019t as much hyperbole as it is slight exaggeration. So, I keep out-of-season clothes stored in the basement, and seasonally, I switch things around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Everything I know about the art of organizing a clothes closet, I learned from my mom. For as long as I can remember, Mom has rolled up her sleeves and offered her advice. Together, we empty the closet and then I try everything on. But where Marie Kondo asks, \u201cDoes it spark joy?\u201d Mom doesn\u2019t stop there. She is more ruthless in her interrogations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIs it in good condition?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNope.\u201d Goodbye sweaters with pills clinging like unwanted hitchhikers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDoes it fit?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNope.\u201d Goodbye heels that pinch and that little black skirt. Anything too tight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut maybe if I lose five pounds\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo.\u201d Mom says if I can\u2019t or don\u2019t wear clothing for whatever reason, it only adds stress. \u201cSay goodbye to that shirt you \u2018keep meaning to\u2019 iron. And you know you don\u2019t iron, Allison. So please stop buying clothes that need to be ironed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Every year, I swear I\u2019m going to start ironing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And so, we toss clothes into the donation bag. Goodbye suede boots that slump and slouch by mid-afternoon like my posture. Goodbye cute dress that would be perfect for cocktail parties I never actually attend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGet rid of your mistakes,\u201d Mom says. \u201cSo what if they were expensive? Or gifts? Or if the tags are still on them? Give them away. Give them the opportunity to be someone else\u2019s treasure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After clearing the unwanted items out of my closet, the fun part begins. I like to look \u201cpulled together\u201d as Mom says, \u201cWhen you look good, you feel good.\u201d Mom is a genius when it comes to putting clothes together in new or unexpected ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOh, those pants, that deep cabernet color is gorgeous! Try those with the black and white loafers\u2013so sharp!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As I hang the last few items in my now organized closet, it occurs to me that this process is a metaphor for life. We must edit out things that don\u2019t suit us anymore, let go of the things we\u2019ve outgrown, and find the things that are important to keep.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
There are two types of people in this world: those who think cleaning out closets is a chore, and those who consider this project one of life\u2019s most satisfying events. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":21538,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_tec_requires_first_save":true,"_gspb_post_css":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_tribe_blocks_recurrence_rules":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_description":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_exclusions":"","footnotes":""},"essay_type":[46],"essay-category":[92],"class_list":["post-20263","essay","type-essay","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","essay_type-features","essay-category-fashion"],"blocksy_meta":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sasee.com\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/essay\/20263","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sasee.com\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/essay"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sasee.com\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/essay"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sasee.com\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sasee.com\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20263"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sasee.com\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/essay\/20263\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sasee.com\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21538"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sasee.com\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20263"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"essay_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sasee.com\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/essay_type?post=20263"},{"taxonomy":"essay-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sasee.com\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/essay-category?post=20263"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}