The philosophy of closet clearing

“Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.” ~ Epictetus, Stoic philosopher

As most fashion bloggers advise, it’s easier to dress yourself if you have a simple, carefully edited wardrobe — which typically means fewer clothes.

And so, before leaving on vacation, I spent a week purging my closets. My latest pile of discards contained some nearly new, barely worn items — a fact that tugged on my conscience as I folded and packed it all into black garbage bags. The shame I felt for being wasteful was only partly erased by the knowledge that my unwanted clothes will be donated to a charity. Someone else will benefit from my fashion mistakes (or weight gain).

I want to keep clearing space in other areas of my life. I want to consume less while I use and appreciate what I already have.

How much stuff do I really need? What compels me to want more? What impact does all my stuff have on my environment? To add a little levity to this topic, I pulled up an old George Carlin routine, “Stuff,” which you can enjoy here. I hope it makes you laugh while you figure out what to do with all your stuff. ~CL

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