I have a confession to make. I’m an ugly American. There, I said it and I feel relieved. I know there must be a support group for this somewhere. I wanted to write that “we” are ugly Americans. “We” meaning all the inhabitants of this household in upstate NY, but I didn’t want a revolution on my hands.
Let me explain what I mean by “ugly American.” 8 TVs for 4 four people and two dogs? Come on now, who needs 8 TVs. Some may argue that we are only 2 TVs over an acceptable limit. Shirl would point out that we only paid for two of them with 6 TVs being inherited from family members who insist on upgrading the moment any new technology hits the store shelves. For the last several years I have been tossing the word minimalist around claiming “I want to be a minimalist.” I admit that I really didn’t know exactly what a minimalist was. In my mind it would mean that we would consume less, get rid of all the junk in the basement and save some money. It sounds good to me.
I knew that I needed to start with me before I could get this family on board and in shape. You know, lead by example. The time is perfect because it is time to put summer clothes away and take out the winter clothes. So, our bedroom closet was the obvious place to start. Once I cleaned a few things out I could announce and share my minimalist experience with my family and we would be clutter free.
Well, what started out as an episode of Clean Sweep quickly turned into an episode of HOARDERS. We’re talking just my clothing here. This is just a very, I mean very small sampling.
It’s just horrifying.
Here are some quick numbers 16 pairs of jeans, 14 black pants, 15 brown, 18 tan, 6 green, 10 grey, 4 blue and 2 white. This does not include the 19 capri pants in various colors, shirts, shorts, sweatshirts, tennis clothes, hoodies, etc. This is just the closet. UGLY!!!!!!!! (I won't mention the 2nd closet in the office.) I decided that I would not count anything else.
I have to point out that I don’t have to dress up for work and for the most part, I don’t. I definitely do not look like a fashion diva when I roll out of here in the morning. I probably wear the same three pair of pants and five tops every week. I also need to mention that I am not a shopper. I live with someone who treats me very well, so my clothing just appears. It’s always perfect and it always fits. Just one more fact. I take really good care of anything I own no matter how much it cost, so my things tend to last forever. Come on. I even have a coat that I bought in Lord & Taylor when I was 21. It’s in excellent condition and I still wear it. No, it’s not out of style.
How much stuff does a person need? Or maybe the real question is, “What are all these possessions really about?” Are these material possessions physical shields to our inner emotions and vulnerability? I don’t have the answers, but one thing I do know is that in one year and one month I will be 50 and it’s time to shed. I have one year to shed not only all this excessive clothing, but also any excessive material possessions and to lighten my emotional load. Let's face it, that's the real issue here. I’ve been carrying too much weight for way too long. I’ve already donated nine contractor garbage bags full of clothing from just this one closet.
Shirl has agreed to stop shopping and buying me things. (I told her the IPAD doesn't count.) There’s a lot more to go. With 19.3% of American households below the poverty line, it’s time that I stop being an “Ugly American. Now what to do with all the extra hangers?
