Shifting gears

Ever have one of those mornings that you just can't find anything to wear? Nothing feels right or gives the look you want? I have one of those mornings about once a week. It's often rooted in a certain pair of pants being too tight or finding a stain on the white shirt I wanted to wear or, as was the case this morning, the black shirt went through the dryer with someone's kleenx.

Dressing this morning actually brought me to think about how much my life has changed over the last few years, and the influence my clothes have on my my mood, attitude, and schedule. It used to be that I'd dress in the morning and be out the door and return 10-12 hours later, in the same clothes, shower, and hop into bed wearing a ratty t-shirt and shorts. And then Charlie bought me the first pair of pajamas I'd had since I was a kid. He got them at Walmart, and I loved them. They really changed my life. My entire mindset shifted once I put those pjs on. Somehow wearing those jammies gave me permission to lounge around, read the newspaper, and lie in bed a little longer each morning. I am always on the lookout for new pajama sets.

So pajamas were the first step in my life becoming slower, and becoming mine again. Now I've happened upon another wardrobe influence: I change clothes when I get home from work. I do not shower and put on pajamas, nor do I proceed with after work stuff in my "work clothes," no matter how casual they are. This has made my afternoons feel completely liberated! Really. I feel like I can do so much more than paperwork or house cleaning or chores. I do stuff, stuff for me, that I like. It's like part two of the day, my part. It's worth the extra load of laundry, believe me.