A Piling Pile of Clothes

What happens when you don't grow in height or weight for 8 years or more? You accumulate a lot of clothes. Especially during ones youth when interests are changing, trends are changing, and so on one tends to end up with a lot of clothes. It's almost a link to the past and a literal visual representation of the wardrobe changes someone goes through. Tracking back as far as late grade school with some of these clothes I can follow bands I liked, my skateboard/baggy clothes phase, my punk/band phase which goes past t-shirts, baggy jeans to ripped jeans to skinny jeans, etc. As I said a few days ago, some of these pieces of clothing are as much memories as they are shirts or coats. Maybe this makes me a hoarder or maybe it makes me a sucker for "remembering the good old days" but part of me struggles to pass on some of these things.

I have a t-shirt from my first concert (Linkin Park, 7th grade), one from a kid who had me as a secret santa in 6th grade (Korn). Moving through grades and years and interests just in my dresser is a pretty cool thing. Even still, as times changes along with my interests and needs as far as my wardrobe is concerned, the space I have is finite. What ends up going are the articles that fall between when is new and what is a memory.

Going through these clothes I see things that I remember buying once and really thinking was so cool. I also see things that I bought or were bought for me that I can't ever remember wearing or maybe only wearing a few times. Sometimes I can even recall a look of excitement my mom had when she brought home one item or I unwrapped another for Christmas. I feel guilty getting rid of it now, especially in instances where I know I never really even wore it. I imagine when she sees it end up in that pile she may remember that moment too, or the moment she found it and maybe feel like she failed on that one. It's silly, in a way. They are just clothes and for most of the things I have that is definitely true. Still, with so many things, we are reminded of certain moments by the most mundane objects.

Kid's Stuff

Yesterday my parents went and saw Toy Story 3. My mom came home feeling very nostalgic. She started talking about old toys and things and eventually my sister brought the conversation to old blankets. Each of us growing up, myself and my two sisters, had something we'd carry around and sleep with as kids. My younger sister and I both had blankets and my older sister had a Winnie The Pooh pillow that my grandmother made her.

At some point in my life I didn't have the blanket anymore. My younger sister's original blanket was so beat up that it was nothing more than a short knot of fabric. My older sister still has her pillow to this day on her bed.

Tonight I found out my mom has both the knot and my old blanket up in her room. She brought them both down, both sealed in bags. According to my younger sister, at some point when I was a kid my mom decided I was too old for or old enough not to need a blanket anymore and took it from me. I apparently was incredibly upset, so much so that my younger sister has never forgotten this event. I, on the other hand, have no recollection of it ever occuring. I do not remember how old I was when I no longer had this in my life, and I don't remember under what circumstances it's removal happened.

It was definitely interesting seeing it again. It is a big more tattered than I remembered it being. They got it for me when I was just a new born and I can remember that at one time it could cover me completely. I know I had it in this house which I did not move into until I was 7. So this blanket was with me, almost daily, for over seven year, most likely closer to ten. Considering how my sister's looks, I'd say the few rips and wholes are minimal.

Did you have something like this when you were growing up? Maybe a toy or pillow, something that never left your side for a big part of your childhood?