Keeping My Spirits Up

It's been over 2 weeks since I had to go to work. While I was still working, I had great plans for all the things I was going to do while I was unemployed. I've done almost none of them.

Partly, it's because the weather has been so hot and humid it's hard to do anything but sit. I'm still trying to find a schedule that will keep me moving but allow for a lot of flexibility. I've decided that Yoga first thing every morning is a good way to get started. I tried a walk a few days ago and even with a light-weight hooded sweatshirt and long pants, the bugs were too bad. And even in the early morning the clothes were too hot. The walk is a good, strenuous one. I live on a dead end street so I only have one option: Walk to the end of the street (about a mile) and back. It's all downhill from where I live which means it's all uphill on the way back. It's a pretty walk and a really good aerobic workout.


Yoga will keep me moving until we've past bug season.


While I was still working, I ordered a book via C/W MARS which I just received this week. I'm not certain why I ordered it. It was probably an impulse order while I was reading a review. The book is What to Wear for the Rest of Your Life: Ageless Secrets of Style. For the first few pages, I thought it was silly and frivolous and why was I reading it. But I kept going. The author talks about how our bodies change as we get older and the clothes we once wore and looked great on us no longer work. It's not just weight-gain; even at the same weight, the shape of our bodies shifts.


Being the frugal person I am, I have clothes that are over 20 years old. I find I like them less and wear them less often. As a result, I have a closet full of clothes that don't inspire me. It's kind of depressing. Kim Johnson Gross, the author of the book, found the same thing. She offers really good tips for selecting the clothes to keep, how to update them, discarding those you no longer want, and things to look for when buying new clothes. I feel as if I've found a new friend. While I'm not going about the process exactly the way she recommends, I've adapted it in a way that's been working for me.


I'm finally be able to say good-bye to some lovely clothes that for the last few years I've been thinking I might one day be able to fit into again. It's not going to happen. They will find a good home.


And I will have one less thing weighing me down and that is good.