A Seinfeld Moment

So we had a MEGA garage sale last week. So big that one woman actually bought 80 articles of clothing. Yep, 8-0. Not only did I clean out my closets, but there was a lot my mom contributed, as well as some "stuff" left behind when my life changed in 2009. You name it, we had it to sell. Including, as I shared in my last post, shoes...

So we have discussed, ad nauseam, how difficult it can be for me to part with my footwear. But I continue to do it because there is no point in keeping what I can't wear. Actually, while my garage sale was going on I also had an eBay sale happening for some shoes that were higher end. (Can you say "make money money?!")

I can tell you stories of my life based on what shoes I was wearing (obviously) so imagine my horror when a group of non-English speaking women came by, starting trying on my shoes, speaking their native tongue and... LAUGHING! Were they laughing at me? Were they calling me names based on all my stilettos? What were they saying? I felt like Elaine at the manicurist!

I was tempted to grab my shoes away from them and reassure them (my shoes) they are all special in their unique ways. I know, I just about lost it. But I didn't! I regained my composure and decided maybe stilettos aren't for everyone who frequents garage sales. I later sold a few pairs anyway. Besides, I don't buy my shoes for other people, I buy them because they make me happy. So no, I won't be asking Frank Costanza, to come to my next sale. Besides, could they have been saying anything worse than what I have heard a thousand times - How in the world do you walk in those?!?!

Letting Go

A year ago, my girlfriend Alexis came to town and helped me let go of a gazillion pairs of shoes I wasn't wearing. (Can anyone forget the Shoe Intervention?) And she inspired me to go through my clothes and purses as well, resulting in a nice little eBay business and donations to the Salvation Army.

Last year I also let go of the name I had carried for 6 years, reclaiming my maiden name. With the help of an incredibly special person, I finally tackled all of the stuff in the basement that belonged to my ex-husband. Just like the TLC show Clean Sweep, we divided into give away, trash and yard sale piles.

And then my Mom had to clean out my Grandfather's house after we let go of my Uncle Johnny too soon last year. She used the Clean Sweep method as well and my basement is full of stuff for a March yard sale. At this point, I'm ready to say everything is $1 (my yard sale partner won't, though) and whatever doesn't go Purple Heart will pick up the next day. That sale will help me let go of some financial stress for sure.

I've also been working on letting go of emotional baggage. I'm trying not to live my life by an imaginary timeline even though I feel that biological clock ticking. I continue to try and let go of judging how other people choose to live their lives... even when their decisions indirectly affect me. And everyday, I try to let go of self-doubt and mistrust. In the past, I was betrayed but that isn't happening right now so I can't live my life waiting for the other shoe to drop (forgive the pun!).

The benefits of letting go? You open your heart, life and closet to new feelings, experiences and shoes. I feel a little more confident each day. I continue to grow my hopes for the future. And as I head to shoe mecca in NYC tomorrow, you never know what new footwear will enter my life.

None of this would be possible without the incredible blessings I have in my life... namely my family and friends. I am grateful everyday for them.

So I must ask, what are you going to let go of starting today? And what gifts will you get as a result?

A Time for Renewal

It was Easter 2003 when my family met my future husband for the first time. And it is Easter 2011 that marks the last Easter for us to be married. It is a season for renewal and with that renewal comes many emotions - sadness, joy, fear - the list goes on and on.

Many people have emotional ties to possessions and I am no different. Except, of course, that some of my most emotional ties are with my shoes. Strange, I know, but as I downsize my shoe collection with the help of eBay; I can't help but go through that emotional roller coaster.

Like these green patent Tahari sandals with the gold heel. My soon to be ex-husband bought them for me as an Easter surprise a few years ago. I loved the colors and the fact they would go with a jacket I have that is so ugly it's cute (you'd have to see it to understand). Mostly, though, I loved that he went into a store, saw these and thought of me. But they hurt my feet from the moment I put them on. Yet I wore them anyway. Because they were cute and because he bought them for me. I suffered through to make him happy...

And now these shoes are making someone in Wisconsin happy. And the lesson they have taught me is invaluable - you can't sacrifice your own happiness for someone else's. If you do, it is impossible to sustain.

So I wish you a happy and blessed Easter. An Easter that allows you to begin your own season of renewal. A pain-free time filled with happiness... and maybe a couple pairs of new shoes.

An Intervention

I have had an interesting life. And by interesting I mean somewhat wild, challenging, thrilling and completely off the reservation at times. So I can't believe it took this long for the intervention to happen. And that it would happen in my closet.

Alexis is one of my closest friends. She flew down from Boston for a fun-filled girls weekend (which means eating, drinking, laughing, talking, etc.) and it was her first trip to my new house. On night 2, we were trying to decide if we should go out or stay in. And then Alexis walked into my closet, pulled out her phone, snapped a picture and demanded I see what she saw. As she surveyed the shoe boxes, she calmly asked, "is this all of them?" I had to then lead her to another closet full of shoes. After counting to 150 she said, "Get the champagne. We are staying in. This is a shoe intervention."

We spent the next 2 hours laughing, drinking, trying on shoes, photographing and sorting. Three piles: garbage, goodwill and eBay. (She did snag a couple of things for herself for helping so much!) We also went through purses. And like a woman possessed, I went through all of my clothes the next day. All in all, 4 bags went to Goodwill and I have listed 6 of the 40 pairs of shoes on eBay.

I have a new beginning after a very long, emotional roller coaster. Somehow, starting over seems as good a time as any to lighten my load. I'm doing it emotionally. Why not do it with my possessions as well? You may be wondering how traumatic this was for me. Actually, it wasn't. It felt great to get rid of all the stuff I wasn't enjoying or using. It was fun to open a box and light up because I loved the contents and get rid of anything that didn't warrant that reaction. As a matter of fact, seems like a good philosophy for everything else in my life, doesn't it?

And yes, I may buy my feet something new with my eBay proceeds. You're not surprised, are you?