Tuesday, July 21, 2015

And then there were seven.....

Socks that is.




I think I understand why a move toward minimalism seems to take a year or so, or at least many months.  I think it is because our senses get refined: the more stuff we unload, the more clearly we see what is around us.  It becomes easier to question "Why am I hanging on to that and what purpose does it serve?"

My most recent epiphany was in my underwear drawer.  Now in terms of full disclosure, I have had a completely unusable underwear drawer for over a decade (although to put things in perspective, one of my patients asked recently  "You only have one drawer for your delicates?" so maybe not so bad.)

Ok how many drawers should I have?  

With a less than 500 sq. foot apartment, drawer space is a premium, but again, since it is an unusable drawer filled to the brim with I don't know what, isn’t it wasted space?  I rarely find socks that match (even though I just washed and matched them – and yes, in the winter I often wear unmatched socks in my boots L).  The good (and boring) undies (you know your favorites) are on top of the ones you never wear (seductive but uncomfortable).

So as I de-clutter and “de-own” as Josh Becker likes to call it, a come-to-Jesus moment of truth took place with my underwear, a divinely inspired moment of clarity.   I turned it over on the bed like my grandmother used to do when we were kids if it wasn’t tidy enough,  while my dog Piglet looked on with interest, hoping for her chance to steal the socks.

I took out 7 pairs of socks, one for every day in winter.  I saved a few of pairs of gym/tennis socks since sometimes you do wear more than a pair in a day. One pair of panty hose in black and white.  One slip.  One cami.  Bras in the front.
(OMG I can FIND them, and who knew I had 5?).

Out went all the unmatched socks, the silly Christmas socks which I never wear (did I really need 6 pair with various kinds of snowmen?).  Ditto the uncomfortable underwear that promised so much but never actually delivered (you hear me Victoria’s secret?), all the tights and panty hose left over for a corporate life I no longer have. I don’t like to waste things so many of these items stayed regardless of the fact that I live in San Diego where open toed shoes are de rigour 9 months out of the year.  (But I might need them someday…)

Out went the extra jammies, I kept the newest.  The extra camis, the extra tee shirts and mis-matched workout clothes.  Everything paired down to 2.  My drawers are basically now only half full.

There is actually a bottom of the drawer visible.

Now if I don’t do laundry weekly there will be no socks or undies to wear, and putting the clothes away is a pleasure simply because they all fit without me stuffing them in.

I finally have an underwear drawer that would make Grandma proud.



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