Week 2 of "7" - Clothes

Day 1: After the hell that was last week, I was more than happy to just have to sacrifice my clothing for this week. Lauren and I decided to match Jen's effort of choosing 7 pieces of clothing (apart from undergarments and socks), because if we chose less than that we wouldn't be fully clothed. OK, we probably could have gone with 6, but Jen wore two different pairs of shoes and counted them as one item, so technically she ended up with 8. My choices? Jeans, brown shoes, brown striped shirt, green Tshirt, Milligan sweatpants, jacket, and my Firehouse Uniform (we agreed that could count as one item - we're all a bunch of cheaters). Obviously today wasn't difficult since it was just like picking out a new outfit. In fact, I foresee this week being fairly easy for me, not because I don't like clothing options, but because it's nice to not have to decide. It's like having a school uniform all over again. It could become a little embarrassing being seen in the same things all week, but I'm sure I'll get over that fairly quickly. I just reread the beginning of Jen's chapter on clothing, and in it she confesses she went through her closet and counted 327 different clothing options. In my head I thought, "Wow. I know I have a lot of clothes, but she has a crazy amount!" So, I decided to count my own pieces of clothing. 148. And that only included my winter-appropriate wardrobe. And only the pieces that are clean. Hoodies, dresses, cardigans, camis, jeans, pajamas, workout clothes, Tshirts, skirts, pantyhose. Don't worry, I didn't even count scarves or summer clothes or shoes or undergarments or hats. I'm not entirely sure what Jen counted exactly, but I'm scared now that I would actually be at the same level as she was if I counted everything. Granted, she figured her clothes cost an average of $20/$30 a piece, and mine would probably be closer to $10/$15, but still. If I end up having 300 total pieces, that's $4,500 in clothing. Ugh, I want to vomit. I get rid of clothes all the time, I promise. It's one of my favorite things to do. And I probably go for real clothes shopping once, maybe twice, a year. I don't feel like I have a huge problem with spending money on clothes. But do I really need 300 pieces? Even though I've very recently gone through and gotten rid of a bunch of clothes, by the end of this week I'd like to have a pile ready to part with. It's just too much. Too much.
Day 3: This week just ain't too bad.
Day 4: Today was a little tough, because it got up to 72 degrees. Everyone was wearing their spring-y clothes, and everything in me wanted to put on my shorts and flip flops. Nope, boots and a brown shirt it was. Again. Oh well, I still get to eat whatever food I want.
Day 5: Today I was thankful for my warmer clothes, because it went down to the teens in temperature. However, it began to be embarrassing as I had the same professor two days in a row and had the same outfit on. Also, people were probably wondering why I had no variety and thought I was nasty. Actually, I'm pretty certain no one noticed and no one cared. #realitycheck Oh, and this morning I was carrying a tray of tea and coffee up the stairs, and the tea spilled out. Thankfully it didn't get on my freshly laundered outfit. Until I spilled it again on three of my seven pieces. Really?! Oh well, gave me a reason to wash my clothes again. They probably needed it.
Day 6: It's my birthday!! I was hesitant to make clothing week this week, because I love picking out a birthday outfit, but I just chose clothes I liked enough to display on this monumental day in history! I also packed for Spring Break today, and I think I packed 4x as many clothes as necessary just because I'm excited for options! Only one more day. And looking in my closet still makes me a little sick. 
Day 7: Tonight I had a realization that I have every so often, and each time I do, it just gets me super jazzed. I don't know if it had anything to do with wearing the same clothes again or last week's food struggle or more than average time hanging around Mandy talking about life and faith and her future in Paraguay, but all evening I just kept thinking to myself, "Jesus is worth everything." Now that I'm getting ready to head off into what has always been referred to as my "future", I am thinking more deeply than ever (if that is even possible) about if how I'm spending my days and my life is up to the standard that Jesus called me to when I acknowledged his place as Lord over each of my moments. I don't think I am. Actually, I know I'm not. And that terrifies me.
[insert abrupt, ridiculously dramatic ending to blog post.] P.S. I don't have a picture of a pile of clothes I'm giving away/selling because I'm home for Spring Break and most of my clothes are at school. Plus, possessions week is coming soon. Stay tuned...
P.P.S. Lauren and I are taking next week off of our 7 experiment. Doing almost any of the weeks of 7 while 1. traveling and 2. traveling with other people who aren't participating is really inconvenient for the co-travelers. Maybe that's an excuse. You can decide, but I don't really care.