Good to see you here again on this blustery September day. Even though a little damp outside due to hurricane Florence over the week-end, today is a good day to either walk or sit and chat.
For the past two years, I have experienced difficulty in two things that lead me to my closet.
#1: The Decision: It is becoming extremely annoying to make a decision about what I shall wear for any particular occasion, particularly one that involves articles of clothing that need to reflect the reason for my outing. One example is Church: Should I wear a dress or pants. Usually in the warm summer months I prefer dresses to pants. So after narrowing it down to a dress I select one and place it on the bed along with the shoes, purse and jewelry that I think looks really good together.........that is, until I put all of this together on my body. What looked very coordinated lying on the bed looked like crap on my body! Next begins the dramatic exchanging of clothes until I finally find one that is acceptable to me when I look into the full-length mirror. Sometimes I will try at least four to five outfits before I am satisfied.
It used to not be this way! What has happened over the last two years? The most reliable explanation had to be that the clothes I had always purchased in the same size 10 for the past eon number of years had changed. They just did not make sizes the same anymore! Sounded logical to me......until.................................I tried on that dress that still hangs in my closet and has been there for twenty years, and was the perfect fit in a size 10 at that time.................when I realized....Oh No!
#2 My Body:
The clothes were not to blame. The blame was my body. I had to face reality. My entire body had shifted in such a way that there was no fixed size for me now. Nothing on my body is in the same place it was 10-20 years ago! No wonder the dresses are flat across the back of the hips and have no room in the front across my tummy for the dress to relax. Why, oh why, are all the dresses and tops sleeveless?! Why are the hemlines above the knees? And who decided that every female should now have necklines that expose a cleavage? There is no cleavage at this age unless the neckline falls around what once was a waistline, that has also disappeared from view and is now exposing a courtly frame referred to as mid-life waistline.
So here I am at this stage of my life with a closet filled with clothes that will not fit. I did take two large bags by Salvation Army two weeks ago............it felt good to lighten my load of articles of clothing I had to try on over and over. It is amazing how many lovely blouses I had been hanging onto for that special reunion, or Christmas gathering fooling myself into thinking I would be able to wear it. After trying them on year after year and watching them get tighter and tighter around the waist, it was an overwhelming relief to pass them on to a slender young person! I almost removed the beautiful jeweled buttons but held my hands from the scissors and left them there for the recipient. What was I thinking?!
So............there you have it.........................I will not go into my hair nor any of the other obvious signs of the times. Too depressing. Today is all about the clothing, which reminds me, these jeans are really tight with the zipper and waist button.....excuse me while I change into those comfortable jeans with the elastic waist........................................
Enjoyed the walk...................see you next time..................
