Excessive Excess and a Cow

This is the closet my husband IMAGINES I need for my shoes.

The other day I was looking through my closet for something to wear to work.  I noticed my husband's side of the closet was nicely spaced and well organized while my side is overstuffed and not so very organized. All the dresses are together and all the shirts and so on and so forth, but there is more than SHOULD fit in the observed space.

My dear, sweet husband informed me that I should only have two weeks worth of clothes and I need to purge the rest.  He added that there are "naked children in Africa who need your clothes!"  He is right!  There are lots of people who need clothes and I often purge, but I think I do have an excess problem in the clothing department.

Much of my clothing has been in the rotation for a while with a few new things each year.  My hubby has the ten for one rule.  If I get rid of ten things I can get one thing.  I count each sock as one item!!  Besides the boxes of "dream" clothing that includes sizes 2, 4, and 6, I have shoes in sizes 6.5-7.5 that no longer fit due to childbirth (and likely weight gain).  Look, I may fit in to those clothes again!   Likely Chloe will wear those clothes, but I won't ever fit in them again.  I just can't bear to get rid of some of my favorite things.  The black leather pants, the jeweled bustier(they will be back in style, VIVA SELENA!), and anything I wore in Miss America.  My husband has decided to just give up on trying to get rid of Miss America stuff as he has been unsuccessful in his attempts in the past.  Is it bad that I have a state pin from each of the contestants?  Yeah, I know, cultish.

The reality is that I have way too much clothing and I live in a society where we buy, buy, buy more stuff.  The other day I stood in the grocery store staring at the yogurt section.  It is OVERWHELMING!!  A little over a year ago I visited Cape Town, South Africa and in the grocery store I saw a few flavors and MAYBE two brands.  The grocery store I shop in here is a mega store where in other countries they have a true grocery store...the necessities.  I am a product of my environment and I really need to purge.  I have excessive bedding, towels, plates, and clothes.  Some would venture to say I have too many animals as well.  I don't disagree that I have many animals, but for now there will be no culling.  I will keep to culling clothes and toys and other household stuff.

I remember a story a friend told me many, many years ago about a party she attended in the Hamptons. The home where the party took place was a very large estate on the water and on the veranda there was a pool and outdoor furniture of all shapes and sizes.  Sitting in the center of a couch was a pillow that read, "Live Simply."  She recalls spitting her drink out slightly when she read the words on the pillow and tried to contain her laughter.  I really think I need to consider taking steps to living a simpler life.  I'm fairly certain a more simple life includes buying a dairy cow, don't you?