I Can't Get Rid of my Old Clothes
It's hard to get rid of something, especially when it's been in your life for so long. Sometimes it's a relief when you're able to purge and make room, but do you really want to part with it?
Getting Rid of Your Old Clothes
As a life-long pack rat, I keep a lot of things. I have boxes in my basement and behind my chair in my bedroom. There are scraps of paper on my nightstand. Nothing important, just old receipts and used up notes I think I'm going to need in the future.
One specific thing I have an overabundance of is t-shirts. I have a LOT of them. My shirt drawer is crammed with them and the shelf above the drawer has so many shirts the piles are about to topple over. (Think about the scene in "Tangled" when Rapunzel tries to get an unconscious Flynn Rider into the cabinet.) I'm not sure how this started. I've never been one to collect clothes. This could be from the fact that I just don't like to throw things away because I'll need it as soon as I get rid of it.
My Old T Shirts
There is also an element of pride for me the longer I have something. Among my prized clothing possessions is a Red Sox shirt I've had for 30 years. I have my first 4th of July t-shirt from Old Navy. I got it in 2002. It even has the year right on the shirt and I showed it to The Oppressed when she didn't believe me.
I got a Larry Bird T-shirt for Christmas from my brother in 1993. This was a special shirt for me because I loved the Celtics and Larry Bird. An old girlfriend claimed it for herself as a nightshirt and wore it constantly. It stretched out and a little faded. I can't tell you the last time I wore it. I still have it, though because it's Larry Bird and I feel bad throwing things out that people have given to me. My brother has probably forgotten all about the shirt, but I still can't bring myself to throw it away.
Another part of my life is radio. I have been in and out of the radio industry since 1995, which just happens to be when I got my first radio t-shirt. Every radio station I have worked for has scored me a T Shirt. I even have T Shirts from clients of marketing events I have worked. Again, I can't bring myself to throw away these reminders of a job I loved.
Contact Mary Ellen at "An Organized Approach" if you want to get rid of your unwanted clothes, clutter, or household items. She can also help if you don't even know where to begin.
My Old Shirts
It's not just T Shirts. I have regular shirts, shirts I don't wear anymore but keep holding on to. There are shirts like the one I wore on my first date with my wife. I stopped wearing it because there was a bleach stain on it, but it was the first night of my life with the woman I love. I did bring myself to throw it away to make room in my dresser and get rid of the clutter in our bedroom. Wife said it was fine but she didn't need the somber mood I had the moment I was able to part with it. She reminded me people get rid of things everyday and she wished I tried it a little more often.
There is also the shirt I have the day The Oppressed was born. I wore that shirt the first day I became a father. There is an incredible story surrounding that day. Maybe I'll get around to telling it for you. It started out a normal day, and I just put a shirt on to start it. What happened after I rolled out of bed was unexpected to say the least. I always seem to remember what I wore on certain days. This is one of those days and one of those articles of clothing.
My Old Jackets
Like my shirts, I have a lot of jackets that have been around for decades, like a baseball jacket my father gave me over 20 years ago. I had a winter jacket for 15 years. Wife and her mother thought it was time for a new jacket, and that was what I got for Christmas one year. Again, the longer I own it, the more impressed I am with it's durability and longevity. That makes it harder to throw away.
I've made some progress, although Wife says I need an intervention on my T shirts and jackets. It's strange, because I'm not one who's really interested in flashy new clothes. It's a win for me if I can hold on to it for a long time. We got matching t-shirts for a recent family vacation. Mine has my name on it. This was from a time when we all went away together and had fun, so you know it's going to be hard to part with this in 20 years.
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