JAMIE BRAZIL Contemporary Romance and Young Adult fiction

Today is the second-to-last day of our nine-author blog-a-thon (gosh, there are a lot of dashes in this sentence) and it’s been a fun journey.  A couple week’s go, today’s guest, Maggie Jamieson, and I had a chance to sit down and indulge in hours of girl talk.  Of course, the topic of clothes came up, but we also chatted about publishing, family, and life.  Maggie is smart, and kind, and the sort of person you can start having a conversation with and lose track of time entirely.  Our morning of chatting made me think of one of my favorite quotes: Do not make excuses to stay, but reasons to return.

Resolve 2013: Loving in the Closet

Author name: Maggie Jaimeson

Book title: ETERNITY

In order to shrink my closet I have to shrink me first. Either that or decide what size I’m going to be the rest of my life.  Like millions of women who approach New Years, I always have a resolution to lose weight.  AND I always do, somewhere between 20 and 40 pounds.  AND I always gain it back.

This then relates directly to my closet.  As I lose weight I give up my “fat” clothes and buy new clothes.  If I’m “in the money” I go to the mall. If I’m not, I go to the thrift store. But the reality is I ALWAYS buy new-to-me clothes as I lose weight. The problem is when I gain the weight back I then buy fat clothes again. But I don’t get rid of the other sized clothes because, being the perennial optimist, I’m sure that weight is coming off soon and I’ll need them.

So my tips below are in the form of do as I say, not as I do.  Maybe by writing them down I’ll find a way to stick to these too. There has been three times in my life when I did get rid of lots of clothes. When I did that I set up sorting rules so that I could approach it as unemotionally as possible.  There are only three rules because I can’t remember more than three things at a time. Here are those rules.

1. If I haven’t worn it in more than three years it goes to Goodwill, no matter what size it is or how wonderful it is. There is a reason I haven’t worn it and hanging on until I change my mind about it is ridiculous.

2. If it is something that fits (usually a blouse in my case), but every time I put it on I find myself taking it off again because it “doesn’t look quite right” for this occasion, then it goes to Goodwill. No excuses. Likely it was something I bought on a whim or when I was depressed or anxious and it will never work.  It’s amazing how shopping while depressed never yields something I love to wear.

3. If the item is more than two sizes smaller than my current size it goes to Goodwill. Yes, I still believe I will get there but when I do I know I’ll want to buy something new to celebrate.  So saving it is ridiculous.

I am not a fashionista like you so I don’t have other cool things to go through like purses and scarves and hats and sunglasses.  But the first two sorting rules still apply to those items too.

Now, here  comes the really big thing. Run, don’t walk. Or drive immediately to Goodwill or wherever you are taking it.  If you don’t, you will be tempted to retrieve things.  You really DO NOT want to do that. AFTER you return from Goodwill give yourself a little grieving time and a treat (not buying something else) for being such a good caretaker of your closet space.

Good luck and Happy New Year!

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