Letting go of the past

    This morning, after what has become my daily routine of walking five miles and lifting weights, I thought seriously about what I would do today (other than blog that is).  Perhaps I should dive back into that book I am currently reading (The Girl That Kicked The Hornet's Nest), check out a movie on demand, or pop over to Kohl's department store and use that gift card the kids gave me for Christmas.  Retirement is so exhausting.  Sometimes I really miss those days when I didn't really have to think about what to wear the next day...camouflage and combat boots..now that was easy.  No, now I have a full closet of clothes..decisions...decisions.  As with most days in my life, I decided on jeans and a comfortable shirt.
    Then it hit me.  Yes, it actually hit me.  I reached for a pair of jeans from an upper rack in our closet and it toppled over on me.  I was literally buried in my jeans.  I laughed when it happened, but I knew it wasn't healthy.  I'd become one of those hoarders you see on television.  Somehow, over the last year, I'd become a jean hoarder.  What a mess.  What happened?  After all, I'm one of those people that regularly bags up old clothes to send to the National Children's Center (NCC) or well, whichever charity calls first that month.  They call every month, and with the way our son is growing, we always have clothes to donate.  How had I, Ms. Obsessive Compulsive Organizer, collected so many pairs of jeans?  I realized then that after losing weight, I had bought several pair of smaller jeans.  But I had failed to get rid of the larger ones.  For a year, the old jeans have just been taking up space.  Then and there, I decided it was time to let go of the past, get rid of all the jeans that were too big.  
    I began to pull all my jeans out of the closet, even the smaller ones.  I lay them on the king size bed.  One by one, I tried them on.  In no time at all, I had built a huge pile on the floor.  Nineteen pair of "fat" jeans to donate.  Why was I holding on to them when I found it so easy to let go of other clothes I'd grown too small to wear?  I certainly wasn't planning on wearing them again.  They looked ridiculous on me.  I think maybe jeans were symbolic of something, simplicity...a life devoid of stress, maybe.  
    So I bagged them up (filled two bags) and sat them in the spare room until such time that I receive that phone call, "Maam, Do you have anything to donate?"  I smiled as I walked out of the room, proud of my day's declutterization (thats a new word I've created...like it?).  Then, I glanced over at our son's room.  Mmm, I wondered.  Sure enough, I found fourteen pair of jeans that he had outgrown.  Oh no...Jean hoarding is contagious.  : )
    Well, the only issue I had now was, with three full bags of clothes ready for donation, I had seriously depleted our collection of wearable jeans.  If you know me, you know that's pretty much all I wear on a day to day basis.  That and my work out clothes, of course.  It was time to shop.  Just a little.  Its nice to have a bit more room in the closet/drawers.
    And hey, I'd found a reason to use that gift card.  After a short time at Kohl's, I had purchased two pair of jeans for myself and four for our son.  FYI... they are having a huge sale right now.  As with most visits there, I saved more than I spent.  Got to love Kohl's.