Clothes: Chapter 2

I had been dreading this month ever since I started the clothes chapter of 7. Wearing the same seven clothes for 30 days?!  That sounded like a crazy person's idea.  And I certainly didn't want to look like a crazy person, much less sound like one.

Even with the crazy talk, I knew I had to challenge myself to participate.  I wasn't about to pass up the opportunity to stretch myself and live more simply.  Besides, in the grand scheme of things, it's only 30 days.

I belabored over my 7 articles.  I laid out some clothes on my bed and analyzed the different combinations.  I finally decided on the following:

1. Navy skinny jeans
2. Boot cut jeans
3. Black short-sleeve t-shirt
4. Gray short-sleeve t-shirt
5. Coral long-sleeve shirt
6. Navy cardigan
7. Black REI jacket

I'm rotating between 2 pair of shoes: camel-colored boots and a new pair of Under Armor tennis shoes.  (Undergarments are a freebie.)  I'm sticking with the same pair of earrings and no necklaces.  I am, however, donning as many international accessories as possible, committing to pray for the country it represents on the day I wear it.

I rummaged through my scarf drawer and pulled out 17 that represent Cambodia, Thailand, Africa, Mexico, Nicaragua, Bolivia, India, Hong Kong and Vietnam.  Not to mention jewelry from the Philippines, Chile and the Caribbean.  I've acquired most of them from my own excursions, although I've received a few as gifts.

I anticipated month one and two being the most difficult, so I decided to "hurry up and get it over with," leaving only one free day in-between the two challenges.  (Incidentally, this left my "free" day to dress up as a deer for Halloween and put a pumpkin on my head.)

The first 13 days have been a piece of cake.  It's simpler to get dressed in the morning and I don't even bother to put my clothes away in between wearings, because there are so few.  I spend less time pondering what to wear and what to pack for weekend getaways.  Laundry loads, while more frequent, are smaller.

Yesterday, however, Paul and I both vocalized that this month is pretty boring.  No, it's not as hard as I expected to re-wear outfits day after day.  I don't enjoy putting together outfits, and I don't really love the articles I chose.

But, I'm praying for the world more.  Praying for the women at Suti Sana and my friends in El Alto, Bolivia as I carry my handmade purse.  I've prayed for missionaries in Mexico and an orphanage in Cambodia as I wear my scarves.  I've even prayed for Vietnam veterans... for the first time ever.  (My brother gave my a scarf for Christmas 2 years ago.)

Here's hoping I continue to learn to be others focused rather than self-focused.