I’m in the kitchen cooking Sunday dinner while wearing my church clothes. I dress up a bit for services. When I returned home, I decided I wasn’t changing into my old jeans and sweatshirt. I keep reminding myself not to do my farmer habit of wiping my messy hands on my pants. At five o’clock, I sit down in front of the TV to catch up on the news. I handle my glass of red wine carefully because I’m still wearing my beige trousers. I’ve made it through the day.
When watching family shows on TV, I marvel at the clothes people wear around home, but then they don’t go to the barn to milk the cows like my kin did. My parents married, started farming and greeted their only child in the 1930s during the Great Depression. World War II followed. I grew up with everyday clothes, a few school clothes and one Sunday best. Save was ingrained in my thinking.
Now my closet is packed. When the seasons change, I remove a few old things to make room for new. Clothes that no longer fit or that I just don’t like as well as some others go into a plastic bag to be donated to the Salvation Army Store.
The thrift store gained a complete wardrobe when Linda, our 48-year-old daughter, died from breast cancer. That’s my reminder to wear the garments I like. The day will come when someone will be cleaning out my closet. Another person will enjoy those things that I kept for good.
Do you wear your favorite clothes often or save them so they last longer?