What, This Old Thing?

Five years ago or more now, I bought a dress. It wasn’t a planned purchase, just something that I saw and liked at the time. I thought it would be a great dress for going out or even for work. Time went by, and the dress hung in the closet. I remember thinking at one point, "Maybe this isn’t a good dress for me. Maybe it’s too young looking, or too form-fitting, or maybe the pattern was too busy. Maybe I should just return it." But it continued to hang in the closet.

The other day, I was looking for something in a garment bag and what did I find but the dress–still with the price tag on it. I took it out of the bag and stared at it for a long while. OK, I thought, what am I going to do with this dress? It’s too late to return it and it’s in perfect condition. So I slipped it on over my head. Immediately, I thought, WOW, I Love This Dress!! It’s so comfortable, it fits me like it was made for me, it won’t wrinkle, and it will be perfect for work. And the next day, I did wear it to work and I had the best day. Was it because of the dress? Probably not entirely, but I sure did feel different in it and I even caught myself bouncing down the stairs to go fill the parking meter : ) And I can’t wait to wear it again.

So what changed? The dress? Not at all. It hung untouched in a bag for years. When I took it out, it was still the same dress, thankfully that was still in style (I think : ). Personally, I think any article of clothing that puts you into a positive mood, makes you feel good about yourself, and is comfortable is in style­–your style. I guess it had to be me that changed. Five years ago I felt uncomfortable wearing the dress­–maybe because I didn’t have the confidence in myself to be seen in it. Maybe I didn’t want to be seen, period, and I knew this dress would draw attention to me. But today, I’m happy to put it on and show it to the world–and me too. There was a reason I held on to this dress. To me, it symbolizes my personal growth. Maybe this is why it “fits” me so perfectly now. This is something I’m so grateful for. We always hear, if you haven’t worn it in a year, get rid of it. I’m so glad I didn’t take that advice...