I thought I'd do some Spring Cleaning today; not an easy task by any means, as I am a self- confessed hoarder, and keep everything "in case it comes in useful someday".
My son, who is at present in a small bedroom has requested the use of the larger "spare room" which we had always eyed with the intention of converting into a study to house our computer equipment and crafts. At the moment it is stacked haphazardly with an unsorted collection of "keepsakes" from both our parents' homes - so stacked that entry into the room is impossible! Before clearing that room, space had to be created in other places - hence the Spring Clean.
The son's room was fairly easy. Start tidying and make a pile of "outgrown" and you can guarantee he'll argue and finish the job himself. Surprisingly, he hasn't kept too much of it! He must be growing up.
Next job is our bedroom, and it's astonishing what you find hidden away. With a pile of odd socks and general rubbish accumulating, I tidied the clothes into the wardrobe moving aside garments I keep for "best". As the wardrobe started complaining and bulging alarmingly, a sort through was required. Trying on was in order to check the fit, and I was whisked away on a wave of nostalgia. Memories came flooding back when the outfits were modelled, some happy, some sad, a christening, weddings, funerals, Christmas, evenings out with friends and family, and holidays. Then there were the disasters, the clothes you wished you hadn't bought. The kind that were a bargain and looked good in the shop, but get them home and they look terrible, and the outfits which are so old, they are sadly outdated and only fit for a museum.
Three hours later I have a little space made in the wardrobe (which is very thankful and no longer bulges and allows the door to shut), and several piles of "wanted, but can't wear" clothes on the bed. Further sorting results in a pile for mid twenties daughter, a pile for possible alteration, a pile definitely off to the charity shop, and yet another pile that I can't bear to discard even though they won't fit. I spend a few more hours agonising over those before deciding to return those to the ungrateful wardrobe. They'll never fit, or look sensible again, but it's those memories attached that makes them special.
So guys, before you argue that your wife/girlfriend doesn't need any more clothes when she returns from a shopping spree, it's probably because she also has a collection of "memory clothes" which she can't possibly ever part with. Beware, this collection grows every year, despite hard bargaining from either you or anyone else. Some do go, but others take their place.
Sorry, but it's just a "woman thing". Remedy? Buy a bigger wardrobe! I'm off to continue the Spring Cleaning - see you in a week or two.
