Saturday, December 26, 2009

Cleaning out the closet

A closet is a storage place where we hold items that we love, that we forgot, and things that we haven't had to courage or the time to discard. The closet is a mindset - fraught with emotional ties, and cluttered with treasures of the past that we hang on to because we don't have the time or courage clear it away.

The problem with the closet is that sometimes we hold on too long sometimes, and before you know it, we are living in the eighties, still wearing those killer shoulder pads. Think about, even if they came back into style, should you ever wear them again? Do you want look like Grace Jones? Can your hair ever be big enough again? Can you see stirrups as a part of your life? Stretchy pants with seam down the front of the leg and the stretchy waist?

Questions of a graver nature: Should you ever re wear your past? Do you really see yourself in a Flock of Seagulls hair cut again? And should the Farah hair style come back, should we all jump? And for you men out there. Do you think Don Johnson's Miami Vice look should never be resurrected? Especially here in Saskatchewan where the wind chill will win over the linen every time?

It's important to step back once in while and take a good hard look at what and possibly who you may be harbouring, because it could be horning on other possibilities. And if case you have not caught on to all the clothing metaphors of the last 3 paragraphs, let me just say, it's time to "shoe" away all that unnecessary stuff and start anew.

All kidding aside, I don't seem to do well in my own closets. I harbour memories and loved items. Like the Simon Chang blouse with killer shoulder pads I bought in the 80's that I couldn't afford but saved for. (I tried it on, and, yes, I do look like Grace Jones in it - hence my advice on shoulder pads. We must have had very small heads back then, and very large hair.)

I also have in my possession, a black demim fully studded jacket with shoulder pads that literally surpasses my hips. That's a lot of wing span! (I bought it at a thrift store in 1986 because it was a classic then.)

All kidding aside, I really do need to clear out the closets, but more importantly it's time to clear out the closets of the mind. Find out what is cluttering up thoughts and what is taking up space.

So now that we are 2 days into 2010, here's what I propose. Make a list like you do every year and answer three questions.

1. What am I going to start doing?
2. What am I going to stop doing?
3. What am I going to keep doing?

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