final purge

Today I tackle the front closet.  It's where we keep our off-season coats, as well as Alexander's hanging clothes.  

I alert Alexander a few days ago.  "Hey, I want to go through the front closet and throw out or give away anything you don't want."

"I'm good."

"What does that mean?"

"I like all my clothes."

In other words, go through my closet? Are you kidding? I'd rather be studying for a final!

Today, after Alexander's breakfast/lunch, I say, "Okay, let's do the front closet now." 

He relents.  "Okay, it'll only take me five minutes."

"It's not going to take you five minutes. But it shouldn't take more than an hour."

I go into my room and Alexander stays in the living room to go through his stuff.

Five minutes later he shouts, "Okay, I'm done."

I walk in, and there are two shirts he agrees to part with.

"What about..."

And I start pulling out coats and shirts he barely wears?  He doesn't even look up but still responds, "No, I like that."

I end up discarding about four things. Coats for me are what shoes are to others. You can never have too many. Put on a coat you love and you look great!

As I'm sorting Alexander says, "Ya know, I don't even get this. I went through four years of college and not once cleaned out a closet!

I look at the end result of the spring closet. Only one coat belongs to my son.