Fall...My Favorite Time of the Year

Today I drove home from work with the air conditioning off and the windows down. With my arm extended out window and the cool autumn breeze swirling past me, bits of paper taking flight and dancing about the car. The sun is bright, a typical fall day and I put my over sized black sunglasses on. I feel so free and wonderful, like Easyrider without the chopper. Ah...it's good to be alive.

I stopped at Talbot's to make a return. Of course, I see a few things, to say the least, that would spruce up my wardrobe. I envision how fantastic I'll look and decide to try a few things on. For some reason I'm attracted to their Navy blue separates this year and with my arms full the Talbot's clerk offers to unburden me by carrying the first load back and getting a dressing room started. I follow her minutes later with a few more things to throw on the heap and I begin to try things on. I intend not to buy everything, only the pieces I absolutely love. Well girls, guess what, it was one of those days when you try on everything and nothing looks quite right. All this great stuff and I become discouraged almost immediately. Too big, too small, too long, too short...ugh!

My cell phone rings and it's my husband telling me that he can't wait around the house anymore. (Lowe's has a man coming out to replace our old dishwasher with a new one and he wants me to come home right away! His big emergency is that he is going trapshooting - so I have to rush home to oversee the stranger). Okay, I'm not having success anyway, so I thank my attendant and head for home.

Again, the windows are down just as before, sunglasses on, but I'm slightly discontented now. Hakuna Matata (No worries), I'll spring back.

I'm not so discouraged that I am giving up. Fall triggers the desire to buy school clothes even though many years have passed since we have had to do that. Most of us in the northern states still love or feel the need to add to our wardrobe when we see the fall/winter catalogues burgeoning from our mailboxes. (Now is the time to pity those 'who live where the sun always shines'. We got one over on you in this department. I have a friend in FL who has a beautiful winter coat that she takes time to pet once in a while; she never gets to wear it.

Speaking of clothing and winter, I recently heard a joke from a Jeff Foxworthy skit. He claims that Pittsburgh's are the only ones who have to get a Halloween costume that's big enough to fit over their snowsuit. (Laughter) That is a good one! Another poor southern boy who evidently has been deprived of the joy that comes from the change of seasons. He's right though. I remember when my grandfather passed away. The funeral was Oct. 31. We experienced an untimely blizzard. The weather was so bad I didn't think that anyone would come to the funeral home for the viewing, with the exception of family. Weather was no deterrent, thank God, they all came.

Getting back to the desire for new clothes, really, I'd like to start over. Stacy and Clinton, come and get me. (Don't sign me up for that "T", I would have to kill you) Honestly though, wouldn't it be great to have someone help you to buy the clothes that flatter you instead of a closet full of "I missed the mark". My wardrobe is fair, I could do so much better (especially if I had $5000.00 to do it with). In my defense, I have no sweaters with people or dogs on them, I'm not wearing my lingerie outside of the bedroom, and I have nothing that would provoke someone on the street to scream out "Beam me up Scottie." (I'm sure "T" has something in her closet like that. I'm fairly confident that she wouldn't sport it out and about, but who knows. When she sees William Shatner on those Priceline commercials, it may spur a glance toward the closet and a temptation to don one of those get-ups. I'll have to pop in on her when the old re-runs of Star Trek are on and see how quickly she's able to answer the door. Just kidding "T")

I once read an article where a woman transformed her life by getting rid of everything she didn't need. She eliminated almost all of her clothing, only keeping a few pair of pants, a few shirts, a dress or two, just a couple pair of shoes, and so on, with everything in her house. Even down to the pens and pencils, she just kept one or two of each. Actually my mother shared this article with me and as she read our eyes twinkled with unburdened delight at the thought that something like this could be possible. Could we dare to unload even half of the stuff we have acquired? It would be great wouldn't it? I remember George Carlin had a skit where he said something like, 'we get rid of stuff so we can go out and buy more stuff.' Isn't that the truth?

Last year as part of our Ladies' Circle lesson we read in Luke where it says, "He that hath two coats, let him impart to him who hath none." Our little group had a coat drive and donated the proceeds to our local food and clothing bank. (Even with three coats gone and two vests, our closets are still packed full) One woman who donated said she actually only had two coats, and yes, she donated one. I was compelled to stop her, but who am I to rob her of her blessing.

Let's unload, unburden, get rid of, donate, sell, declutter, and then get yourself something nice for fall! I think I'll go back and get that navy sweater!