Pieces of Elyse

There’s a pile of clothes and shoes in the corner of my bedroom, the result of the latest cleansing cull of my wardrobe that serves a bigger purpose than just making more space.

Before I moved hundreds of kilometres away from home, I was a massive hoarder.

Old Metro tickets (God, I’m showing my age) used to go on bus rides and adventures with friends during my teenage years. Kept them.

Soft toys I’d long outgrown and had been tucked away in a drawer. Kept them.

Shoes that I’d worn once or clothes I’d worn multiple times but it had been a long time since they’d seen daylight. Kept them.

I had this fear that one day I would need them, that the fashion would turn back around and they’d come in handy.

Or if all else fails….dress up parties.

But when I moved I packed up Elmo, my little red Corolla, with whatever could fit and that’s all that came with me.

Okay, Mum and Dad have sent a couple of care package boxes in my two years here but it hasn’t been enough to inflate my wardrobe too much.

So before I left, I went through a massive clean-out and it. was. brutal.

Anything I hadn’t worn in the last six months had to go, I was tough on myself and got rid of any sentimentality and just let go.

And God, it felt good.

I was lighter, I didn’t have this guilt every time I looked in my wardrobe and saw all of these clothes I didn’t actually want to wear.

Clothes that no longer fit my personality or I’d bought and worn years and years ago, that had a good life and weren’t ruin yet and I felt bad for getting rid of because I saw it as wasteful.

I’m not saying throw things out just for the hell of it because we don’t want to fill up landfill more than we have to, but anything that just sits in the wardrobe taking up space really isn’t worth keeping there.

Aside from really simplifying my mornings, clearing all this stuff out also helped me clear my head and lifted a weight from my shoulders.

I felt freer and less frazzled to start fresh.

So, I did another cull yesterday. While the pile of donations and chuck-outs was much smaller this time. It still feels good to get rid of stuff that is just taking up space for no reason.

It also means I can splurge a little bit and invest in some nice pieces of clothes that will stand the test of time and reflect who I am as a person now.

I’d like to buy things that are unique, well-made and come from an ethical source.

But I’d also like to buy local where I can, because living in a smaller community that’s been wracked by drought it becomes clear how important every purchase we make is.

I spent a bit of time yesterday doing some research, particularly on bathers that are made out of plastic taken out of the ocean.

So it might be a watch this space to see which sources end up serving my purpose best but I’ve discovered it’s worth taking the time to get it right.

It means the things we buy don’t quickly become part of the throwaway economy but also we’re using our money to vote for what matters.

It’s much easier to do this and make room when starting with a much clearer canvas.