How to quiet the stuff…

I have this weird aversion to getting rid of clothes. I don’t know what it is about, but it’s been a trend that I would like to change. I’ve often sorted and winnowed and taken bagfuls to Goodwill, so that’s not exactly the problem. But what bugs me is that I hang on to things I think I might wear (usually made from fabric I love, but garments that don’t quite fit me, aesthetically or literally) and I never wear them. Or worse, I put them on and take them off, month after month, as if perhaps they would have magically become flattering by languishing in the closet.

Just by their presence, the unsorted clothing murmurs and sometimes yells at me. Sometimes it’s loud in my head. This unpleasant background noise complicates my mornings and stresses me out.

I dream of opening my closet and having a just a few piles of folded clothing, and maybe ten things hanging there, all arranged by color, all washable, and all reassuring. “It’s okay, you’ll look great today no matter which of us you pick,” they whisper, with a whiff of lavender sachet. In my dream, making decisions is easy.

I have a few “go to” pieces that I do love, that I always feel great wearing. But most of my stuff is not in that category. Most of it seems like failed dates, ill-advised unfinished projects, and then frowsy things I paid too much for, so it seems a waste to jettison.

But, as soon as I have the time and energy, I will sort into these categories:

1. Things I wear all the time
2. Things I wear seldom but need occasionally
3. Things I would get rid of if I had the courage to do so
4. Things I love but need to fix/alter/etc.
5. Get thee to the closest Goodwill

The house would be so much quieter.