Clothes ... as a metaphor
1. It’s September 2005, so I’ve been in DC for nine months. A time of (re)birth?

As I organized my closet this labor day weekend, I noticed how most all (~90%) of the clothes in the closet have been purchased in the last 12 months. A change in body weight was the main factor in the new wardrobe. Also playing a role: my old clothes did not have a fitted feel, were worn out, or i never liked them in the first place, and let’s remember that it helps to have a job!

The closet doors reveal a new world, one I wouldn’t have recognized a year ago (I was starting my masters project and starting to live with Reed, Ross and Jackson). Clothes don’t mean much, but as a metaphor I wondered if there can be a relationship between the change in what you see me wearing and what I’m feeling/thinking…a change in who I am. We can argue this one, but I’ll propose that there have been a series of minor shifts, punctuated by upheavals in the last 2 years, and that i’m beginning to live my life fully and happily on my own. New clothes are an outward sign that I’ve begun to heal, to grow, to be stronger.

If that’s the case and we take this metaphor too far, what does it mean if I wear my new Urban Outfitter shades with the new Puma shoes in a new part of town with new friends? Do the shades represent my spirit and rebellion, or do the shoes reference a feline strength and love of naps on weekends?

Get a grip.

2. I installed a light in my closet this weekend. Not only is it easier to see what clothes I’m going to wear, pictures of the closet have more light. Fascinating, I know. I already chose what I’m going to wear to work tomorrow.

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