Nothing to Wear with a Closet FULL of Clothes

My husband is a successful business man who spends his days surrounded by suits, ties, and leather briefcases; dining at the finer restaurants in town, rubbing elbows with commercial big wigs, and schmoozing hopeful clients with rounds of golf.  Every morning, he leaves the house looking the look and talking the talk of the next Donald Trump.

I, on the other hand, spend my days wiping snot from runny little noses; refereeing hair pulling, arm biting, leg kicking fights; and watching marathon showings of Suite Life on Deck and Hannah Montana on Disney HD.

One day recently, my hubby came home and informed me that we had been invited to a dinner, hosted by a potential client that was well known and respected throughout the community. My excitement at the mere thought of escaping the routine that held me hostage in my own home, was quickly hampered by sheer terror as the life altering decision of what to wear consumed my every thought.

I dashed to my closet and frantically scanned the racks! That’s when reality slammed me in the face, and it was no longer about what I would wear to a dinner, but had become more about me-losing sight of who I was and who I wanted to be.

I stood, motionless, in the center of my closet surrounded by memories of who I used to be. Racks of clothes began closing in on me, smothering glimpses of reality into a haze of delusion. Hangers held up lifeless shirts with holes, stains, and missing buttons. Shorts, that were way too short, sat on shelves- not that they had shrunk, but because my derriere now hung a little lower than it used to.   I realized that I still had outfits that I had worn in high school hanging up!! I had allowed my clothes to control my life and become responsible for the routines that I had created. With only t-shirts and old jeans to wear, I had limited myself to attire that was only suitable for the grocery store and soccer practice. And because of that, I chose not to go anywhere else. “What happened to me?”

I had always prided myself in taking care of my appearance, but somewhere along the way, “taking care” took on a new meaning…..Instead of pushing myself to try new things and go to new places, I had become trapped in the past with clothes that were older than my children. I stopped desiring to meet new people because I didn’t want to be judged on what I was wearing. I wanted to “fit” in with the crowd that my husband ran with, but didn’t want to make the effort to dress the part- so instead, I opted to stick with what was familiar to me-jeans and t-shirts! I was letting the opportunity to become a better person pass me by, and for what reason….I had NOTHING to wear!

As superficial as this may sound, one of the new goals that I have set for myself is to start dressing the part- the part of the person that I want to be! I want to be able to walk into my closet and feel motivated to go somewhere-other than Wal-Mart! I may not have a million bucks, but I sure will look like it!

My challenge to you is to dress the part of the person that you WANT to be, not the person you once were! Don’t allow your clothes to hold you back from reaching new heights!