Written by Adetola Adeolu-Balogun, a LagosMums Guest Blogger
Here am I in my room, still undecided where to start from on cleaning my closet, it’s few days left before the close of 2012 and I must clean this closet. After a frustrating search for my black camisole last week and I still couldn’t lay my hands on it because my closet was crammed; I knew I had to clean this closet.
My closet looks like a mini boutique, rewind back to seemingly ‘cheap and great’ deals, buy now pay later vendors, forced aso-ebi fabrics from persistent brides, impulse shoe shopping in the name of rewarding myself, I have myself closet full and an almost empty bank account.
So with my favorite songs playing in queue, I began cleaning with a determination to complete this daunting task with a set of ‘If Rules’ in mind. The rules were simple, If I have not used it in 2012, then box it, If it pains me when I wear it, box it, If it’s too revealing, box it and finally if I am never going to wear it, then box it. ‘Boxing it’ means give them out.
My first call was the chest of drawers…this is where I keep sample products, sun frames, and the likes, there were quite a lot that I did not even use this year, and the journey to self-discovery begins.
I saw my favourite perfumes, body oil that dear husband bought for me sometimes back, and, “no way..this ain’t going” I told myself. I always cherish all my gifts from him. Surfing through, I came across a handful of body lotion, sun tan and all sorts of numerous lotions for different part of the body, and I could only shake my head, so I took some out.
The next drawer housed my handwritten letters, memoir, poems, ATM receipts, coupons, things-to-do, target list, reminder stickers (some were left undone), I saw invites to numerous wedding ceremonies (most of which I did not attend, but with a collection of aso-ebi to my credit), and then my little dairy and I got reading.
By the time I finished reading my diary, it was evening, and I was not yet through but I was close to tears. My little dairy made me reminisce over the different events that occurred during the year, I had to count my blessings and thank God for an interesting 2012.
So I speedily browsed through my clothes section, I saw my wedding dress, and I smiled at the memory of that day, but nowhere is this dress going, for every rule, there is an exception, and this had to be the exception to the If-rule!
My ever faithful white shirts that I have come to love after six to seven years of legal life, girl’s best friend’s for a little push here and there, my body magic. I looked through my jeans, pants, tops, skirts, shorts, camisoles, hardly used jogging slacks, and the LBD of ages etc. They all brought back memories, howbeit sweet and sour.
I knew I had to make a decision on which was going to be boxed, some of them I would no longer need because I am more matured, some because I have lost some pounds and added more, some because I need to reduce the content of my closet, and some will go into my vintage box. So I began to apply the If-rules. By the time I was through, the result was a beautiful sight, my closet was neat, compact and arranged in a colour block style.
The next call was my shoes, my arrogant black shoes that disallowed me to acquire other shades of shoes. I sighed as I wondered how I managed to buy shoes that look alike; I wondered what I was thinking! I had also invested in painful 5 inches fre’nemies, why would I cause my size 6 feet so much pain? I swiftly took out the uncomfortable ones with a mental reminder to invest in comfortable and bold colors in the next year.
Onto my make-up box, and I was laughed out loud, “Who am I, Tara or Banke meshida?
I had all sorts of colours for all part of the face, I had purchased some based on beauty reviews or friend’s testimonials and I hardly used most of them. My lingerie box was not left out, the body magic, my favourite La Senza bras that were begging for replacements and my hair accessories all went under the hammer of the If-rules.
Finally after about 4 hours of thorough spring cleaning, my closet was clean. I had accumulated so much in a year and it took a four hour clean-up to make my closet sane. Where is the return on investment on the content of my closet?
This spring cleaning exercise was an eye-opener as I related it to my personal life as well, I knew that it was time I visit that department, and God knows what I will find.
The morale of my blab is simple…
We hold on to so many junks in our lives thus cluttering our mind, body and soul. Sometimes, such junks may be grudge against a friend, bb friends that you never chat with, the list is endless.
Our junks might be someone’s rag, so like me, box the neat and clean wears for the local charity shops.
Life is so much better when we keep it clean and simple, after the clean-up exercise, I could spot my stuffs at one glance. But remember junks are everywhere, even in the car trunk.
Finally, we need to clean our closets intermittently so that we are reminded of our vision.
So yay, it’s a few days to 2013, I feel great with renewed strength and a reminder to “shine my eyes well’ while shopping next year.
adetola adeolu-balogun
