I hate this time of year. It’s really the worst. Everyone’s out with their Pumpkin Spice Lattes, going Apple-Picking and buying Halloween Costumes. Not me. Call me the grump, the pessimist, the season-hater – however you want to judge me. It really is the worst time of the year.
Oh, wait. You thought I was talking about Fall! Autumn – the season that comes after summer. I’m sorry – let me explain. It’s not the changing of the leaves or the weather I despise, it’s the changing of the clothes. For all the kids. At the same time. Because no one can find pants or sweatshirts, and even if they happened upon them by chance, they don’t fit. At all. Ever.
So, my house turns into the back room at Goodwill. Bins and boxes are strewn about in every room. Bags of clothes compartmentalized by age and sometimes season. He needs this size, she needs that…. Where’s that bag of clothes my sister gave me with hand-me-downs from the cousins? There’s got to be something good in there, right?
Oh, drat. It’s like a never-ending garage sale but with a touch of hoarding.
The Summer Clothes – “These summer things might fit next year – let’s keep ‘em.” The bi-annual debate of how much my kid will grow in the next six months. If they do fit them, I’ve just saved myself a load of time and money NOT shopping for new clothes. If they don’t, I’ve uselessly stockpiled apparel instead of freeing up valuable closet space for things like my vacuum-packed wedding dress box and those suitcases I use once every three years. It’s really Russian-Roulette motherhood style.
The Gift-Away Pile – “Oh that bag goes to so-and-so because I need to give them to someone I know. My babies wore those things – I can’t just get rid of them!” My husband has never understood this one, but I’m convinced that the emotional turmoil I am saving myself really does make up for the fact that I will carry this bag of treasures for so-and-so around in my van for the next 5 months. Whatever works…
The Give-Away Bag– “Let’s start a bag of give-away stuff and I’ll donate it this weekend!” Famous…Last…Words…. I did this last year. A bag turned into bags, which turned into boxes and bins, which outgrew the designated space and moved into our bedroom where IT SPENT SIX MONTHS OF WINTER! (Because who wants to carry all that crap down a flight of stairs and skate across the sidewalk to our outdoor parked van when you might freeze to death along the way?) And yet, my collection of giveaway goodies has begun again. Oh boy….
Listen, friends – if you are out enjoying the colorful foliage, think of me and please stop by with an extra hot Maple Pecan Latte. I need to be rescued from the textile-tornado that has taken over my home. You can pull up a bin – empty or full – and we’ll talk about something normal to Fall, like how many times we had strep throat last winter or what to do with the Butternut Squash on my kitchen counter. And maybe, just maybe, I can make it through.
Until Spring, when the cycle starts again. (Sigh)
