If you’ve ever been to New York City you know what it feels like to experience that buzz. It’s this electrifying feeling of excitement and anticipation, as if your whole life could change based upon what may be just around the corner, literally and figuratively. There is a sense of the unknown that awakens our spirit, makes us feel alive. We feel like anything is possible and anything could happen at anytime.
On the opposite side of the coin if you’ve ever sat alone in your home or in your yard, especially at dusk or dawn, there is the sense of time being completely frozen. Everyone and everything is where they should be. Things are calm and quiet and you feel clear and content. It’s a feeling of peace for a brief moment when you feel like all is good exactly where you are. You feel that nothing is going on and everyone is safe and sound.
Of course we want both of these feelings. Too much quiet can be deafeningly painful. It can feel as if things have been grinded to a halt, broken and crippled just waiting for dust and rust. We crave noise. We crave chaos. We want action. But when we get too much? It’s as if we are on a perfectly pleasant merry-go-round that someone decided to turn into a tilt a whirl. Our heads and our hearts are spinning, and there is no one at the controls of the ride.
So how do we find balance? How do we find peace? Unfortunately I don’t have a solution. Trust me, I’m working on it, and I promise to shout it from the roof tops should I ever discover the solution. In the meantime I will be mentally shuttling myself between city mouse and country mouse, trying to find where I fit, and how I can learn to be happy with being on a ride that goes both up and down and fast and slow. Sometimes it is in my control ( Just Say No – it’s not just a slogan for anti-drug use – it should also be a public service announcement for any overworked, overbooked and overwhelmed family), other times life creates the perfect storm, combining the choices and decisions of others into a Mt. Everest we have no choice but to learn to climb. I think this is just life. It’s up to us to find the proper tools and equipment to be prepared. Friends and family, go-to recipes, early bedtimes and sometimes even a long walk give us fortitude, strength and clarity. Spend time with a 3-year-old, preferably not your own because your patience will already be shot. Go for a long walk with them. Talk to them, more importantly listen. Notice what they stop at, what they ask questions about. A dandelion in a sidewalk crack is greeted with shrieks of joy. Time slows down and curiosity speeds up. It’s a good reset button for our soul.
I know this a blog about wardrobe consulting so this all seems a little heavy. But I can’t help but think about these things when I work with a client. Clothes are just clothes right? Wrong. Think about when you are sick, what do you wear? I’m willing to bet 99% of you reading this know exactly which clothing you’d want to wear if you are feeling the flu. Now pretend someone took that outfit from you. Your most comfortable sweatshirt, the one that has been washed so much the letters are flaking off, or your threadbare sweatpants, with the broken elastic, imagine being sick and not having those things to put on. Have you ever tried to put those skinny legged pajamas on a cute chubby baby, one that is fresh out of the bath and smelling of sweet lotion? It’s torture and before you know it you are both crying. It’s just as bad as Ross and his leather pants disaster.
Think about when you come home from work. All females, from an A cup to a DD cup sing Hallelujah when the bra comes off. Even replacing it with a sports bra (let’s face it I don’t want to scare the children by going au natural) feels about a thousand times better. Our lounge clothes have the power of hot cup of tea spiked with whiskey. They calm us, make us feel protected and secure. They are old, they are loved, they are the Velveteen Rabbit of our wardrobes.
*Insider Tip – Bump up your lounge game
The bigger picture is how your comfy clothes make you feel. If you put on your 3 sizes too big old sweatpants and you feel sad then it’s time to change it up. If that comfy sweatshirt reminds you of a bad breakup and binge on Ben and Jerry’s then it’s time to let it go. Clothes are important because they trigger feelings. We can’t control all of what happens to us during the day, but we certainly have the power to control what we wear. Our clothes have the power to make things feel that much better or that much worse. By making choices that make us feel happy we can be happy. Let’s face it, if life feels just as up and down as a roller coaster than I certainly don’t want to be riding it in jeans that are too tight and a scratchy sweater.
We spend a great deal of money on clothes that sometimes we don’t even want to wear. A business suit, a black tie gown or even the sometimes dreaded bathing suit. These things can cost us hundreds of dollars yet we can justify it because we have told ourselves that these items are supposed to be expensive. Have you ever brought a luxurious robe? How about a cashmere cardigan to wear over pajamas? We think it makes a hotel feel fancy to have a nice fluffy white robe yet we don’t think to purchase one for us to enjoy everyday, in our own home.
Treat yourself to cute clothes to wear around the house that are comfortable. Invest in good fabrics like silk, cashmere and egyptian cotton. Pajamas that feel and look good have a positive effect. They make us happy, they make us feel pampered. They make us feel like no matter how fast or slow life is, there is always room for a place of quiet.Our lounge clothes give us a hug. They tell us we are home, that we can rest. That whatever happened today is over and that tomorrow is a new day. And if that day goes well we can celebrate by coming home and putting on our “comfy” clothes. And if that day goes bad? Yep, our comfy clothes will still be there for us, no matter what, to make things just a bit better.
Thanks for reading!
Suzie