Year of Depth

With a closet full of clothes
unworn in years
or even never
I challenged myself this past twelve months
to buy no new clothes

Invited to a gala
to celebrate a new year
I searched my wardrobe
for something festive
black of course
but with sparkles

There it was crumpled
in the back of the closet
an old black velvet dress
inherited from my mother
and a gauzy black cape
speckled with glittering threads
bought years ago when my girls were teens

I’ll be dressed tonight in the depth
of a year of seeing the old, the wrinkled,
the forgotten, the out-of-style
with new eyes for new potential
to start fresh with what’s
already here now

I challenged myself in 2017 to only buy the necessary, like socks or a replacement water heater. It was an interesting experiment.  I didn’t spend time looking at ads or stressed about deciding which purchase would be the best deal. I did not go to the malls or boutiques enticed by the latest styles. I’ve enjoyed matching up old clothes, finding creative new uses for old items and indulging in the pleasure of old books. It was my year of going deeper.

With the new year starting tomorrow,  this challenge will finally end.  But will I return to my old normal lifestyle of seeking a brief high from getting something new? I doubt it; the challenge changed me. While I may not be so strict with purchases in the new year, I hope flippant acquisitions will be rare and that I’ll continue discovering the bounty of what I already have.

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Title inspired by a passage in Go Deeper, Not Wider by David Cain – “Drill down for value and enrichment instead of fanning out. You turn to the wealth of options already in your house, literally and figuratively. We could call it a ‘Depth Year’ or a ‘Year of Deepening'”

Top photo is an original modified using Photoshop filters. The lower photo is of me dressed up for an evening of celebration.