-Gandhi
Yesterday, I counted the number of t-shirts I currently own, it's 67. I felt embarrassed after I counted them, after all, I know I don't "need" that many t-shirts. I must admit that I had an entire dresser drawer filled with t-shirts that I hadn't worn in some time. So, I decided it was time again to unburden myself from some of my possessions. For me, simplifying is a process, so the first step was to put all of my t-shirts in a pile. With this done, I began the selection of which t-shirts I would keep, and which I would donate. There were several factors that I took under consideration: age and wear of the shirt (condition), size and fit, last time worn, and sentimental value.
I spent about two hours creating my keep and donate piles. Every t-shirt needed to be evaluated. For some, it was an easy decision (too big, not comfortable); I even found a couple of shirts that I had never worn. However, like my experience in the storage unit, "sentimentality" was the hardest factor in letting go. I wrestled with the guilt of parting with something, because of the memory attached to it. This seems so irrational, but I can't deny that some of my t-shirts stirred vivid memories that seemed to live within their cotton fibers. In the end, I recognized that I didn't need to retain the object to retain the memory, and those sentimental t-shirts found their way into the donate pile.
After finishing with my t-shirts, I decided to tackle the rest of my clothes. I made it my goal to be able to house all of my clothes (minus button down shirts, ties, coats, and cardigans) into the four drawers of my dresser. Since the bulk of my clothes are t-shirts, I needed only a little less than an hour to go through my collection of pants, shorts, sweaters, and sweatshirts.
Today, I have 24 t-shirts, and while I think it's still more than I "need," they do all fit in a single dresser drawer. I also feel a great sense of satisfaction, in that I now, for the most part, can fit all my clothes in a single dresser. And as I look at the 5 bags of clothes I'm taking to Saint Vincent De Paul's I feel like I've taken another step in liberating myself from my possessions.
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