Fashionista forgoes shopping for donating
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I couldn’t stand it another moment. My closet — dark, cluttered, impenetrable. Clothes littered the floor, a Polaroid camera next to the chicken wire, and my forlorn sewing machine shoved next to mismatched socks and strapless dresses fallen from crooked hangers.
Every morning I have the hardest time locating the basic unmentionables and socks. And if I have to endure another autumn day without socks, my feet will petition to separate from the rest of my body altogether — I’m sure of it.
As I gazed into the unorganized abyss Monday night, I came to the conclusion that my closet was a nightmare that had to end.
And in the same moment, I concluded that I could not add to the disaster. I could not in good conscience contribute to the quintessential closet catastrophe with my weekly thrift store shopping extravaganza.
No, in this case it was better to give than to receive.
So in a terror, I twisted through the rubble, organizing and packing away all those beautiful summer fun clothes — hardly worn during Montana’s warmer months— in organizational tubs and pushed them underneath my bed.
A wave of relief rushed through me.
Then there were those sweaters, coats and dresses that just didn’t fit and would never again. Clothes that I inherited from long-lost friends and lovers, and black skinny jeans that barely fit when I bought them.
Sometimes there’s beauty in just letting go.
So I did.
Into the plastic bags they went, skirts and shirts bought in Turkey for $3 and striped dresses blamed on a delirious state in Thailand.
There are items I’m not strong enough to release from my closet’s grip — like my sorority tee-shirts, or my first attempt at sewing — but these are what storage boxes are for. Never are they to be worn in public.
Every item seemed to have some sort of story, but I faced my inner packrat and filled the bags to the limit.
The following morning, I woke up to a rare feeling of organization. In my groggy haze, I walked into the closet without stumbling over random items strewn about. Instead, I found everything I wanted to wear within seconds. Empty hangers hung together, waiting to be refilled with new or washed clothes.
I took my unwanted clothes to the thrift store Seconds to Go with relish.
Sometimes, it’s just better to give than to receive.
The drop sites for Nifty Thrifty or Twice But Nice include Mission Mart, Harvest Foods and the Polson Work Activity Center. Twice But Nice and Nifty Thrifty both benefit Mission Mountain Enterprises. MME is an organization that supports adults with developmental disabilities.
The drop off site for Seconds to Go and the Country Store are on each stores’ site. Seconds to Go benefits Mission Valley Animal Shelter and the Country Store benefits local churches.
