cleanin' out my closet

I'm sorry momma!

I never meant to hurt you!

I never meant to make you cry; but tonight

I'm cleaning out my closet (one more time)

I said I'm sorry momma!

I never meant to hurt you!

I never meant to make you cry, but tonight
I'm cleaning out my closet

Okay, I know Eminem wasn’t literally singing about cleaning out his closet when he wrote this song.  But today I am.

I live in New York City so of course I don't have enough closet space.  Every spring and fall, I switch winter and summer clothes between my bedroom and a catch-all closet in the hall.  Since losing 37 pounds three years ago (well now it's actually 30 pounds), I’ve gotten rid of any “fat” clothes, and banished, too, anything I haven’t worn in a year or so.  I like having less, as long as it’s the right less.

I clean my everyday-casual closet first.  This is composed of the clothes I wear 90% of the time.  It looks almost empty; I love it.

Next, I clean my second closet, which is filled with white shirts, and dark dresses, skirts and pants.  It’s where I keep my dressier and more formal clothes.  If I ever work again in an office, I’ll have plenty to wear, assuming black doesn’t go out of style.

It takes me only a couple of hours, and pathetically I enjoy the process.  I make two stacks.  In one are clothes I think my mom would like; in the other are sweaters I will try to sell.  I mail out the clothes to my mom.  (I love those big padded envelopes; so much better than bulky boxes).  Next, I take some sweaters over to Designer Resale.  They scrutinize everything and miraculously accept it all.

It is a cathartic feeling.  When I’m done, I feel like I’ve lost those seven extra pounds.  Oh, if it were only that easy.