The run-up to Christmas found me strangely calm.
It started with the organisation of my underwear drawer.
I turfed out a load of mismatched and overused underwear and have settled for posh lingerie with matching bras, thongs and Brazilians; yes, I wear those too.
This is the start of a clearout which is scheduled for this month and one of the reasons I want to go back to basics.
Gone are the business suits, my Armani and Escada, to name two I own and in with smart casual wear.
I feel the need for simplicity.
And choose my outfit the night before; I simply have to.
If I don’t, I am catatonic, and my whole day goes awry as I negotiate what to wear.
I go about my daily tasks often on autopilot doing things without thinking about them.
From the indispensable making of tea/coffee to driving to the office car parking.
How often do you find yourself in the office car park wondering how you got there?
We’ve all done it.
And I want to be mindful of what I am doing, not whizzing around on autopilot, wearing myself out as is customary of my personality.
I purchased a second hand Canon AE1 film camera that takes an actual film
You send the film away to be developed and have to wait for the photos, imagine that?
But the results have given me great pleasure and satisfaction.
The arrival of that much-coveted envelope and its frenzied opening all to view paper photos.
I am thrilled with the results as I continue my analogue journey and apply my digital camera knowledge.
There’s a lot to be said for hyper convenience, the ease with which you can grab a coffee and shop online while living a less inconvenient life stripped of the modern way of living.
I’m not about to give up my technology anytime soon.
Nope, I love my gadgets but cleaning out my drawers felt like a release; what would it feel like when I bareback my cupboards.
My husband will die and go to heaven. He’s amazed that I can fit so many clothes in such a confined wardrobe.
It is the realisation that too much choice is just that too much choice.
It’s tiring to make decisions about the colour of a shirt or trousers, and in menopause, making choices is not a straightforward process.
Give me three choices of ice cream, not fifty thousand.
To live a life less convenient requires organisational thinking and determination, the former I definitely need help with.
But I am excited to get started on my wardrobe to reduce the clothes to a handful of really wanted and needed rather than buying because I can.
My bag obsession doesn’t fit into the above, much to the disquiet of my husband, who would love me to empty the entire contents of my storage boxes into the resident work skip.
Going back to basics is a quondam desire to live life better to help those less fortunate.
It isn’t an altruistic gesture, more a case of wanting to straighten and simplify life, and there’s also a humanistic process.
Many of the clothes I own are made in Bangladesh, India, China, Taiwan, to name a few.
Who made them, what conditions do they work in, where are they from, and what cost to the human condition?
Consumerism and convenience have their benefits, but it is superficial.
Our way of life was better in the 70s, 80s and early 90s?
Joy comes from simple things.
We rely on smartphones, news headlines, or social media updates to make us happy rather than the pleasure of experiencing simple things like baking cakes, walking in the fresh air and feeling the warmth of the sun.
The pandemic forced many of us to go back to basics.
It also taught me to slow down, making me introspective and thoughtful while appreciating the essence of this sweet life.
Spare a thought as I face the laborious challenge of clearing out my wardrobe.
My ever-decreasing need for shoes and handbags as I take back simplicity and go back to basics.
Many of you will be rushing to the shops to grab a bargain in the new year sales or buying online.
I’ll be knee-deep in black bags filled with much loved you will be sorely missed clothes.
Happy New Year.
