Why I Refuse to Keep Things ‘for Best’

why I refuse to keep things for best

I USED TO HAVE A REALLY BAD HABIT OF KEEPING THINGS ‘FOR BEST’.

You know how it goes: you find something you love – like, really, really love. So much so that you want to wear it every single day. Instead, though, you end up not wearing it AT ALL: either because you decide it’s just too “special” to waste on an ordinary day, or you’re worried that if you wear it too often, it’ll wear out, or get damaged, and then you won’t have that amazing item any more. Much safer to keep it “for best” – so that when that super-special occasion you’ve been waiting for finally rolls around, you’ll be ready and waiting for it, with the perfect dress/pair of shoes/whatever it was you’ve been keeping “for best”.

The problem is, it never really works out like that, does it? 

That special occasion you’re waiting for might never arrive – or, when it does, it either has a dress code your much-loved item just won’t work for, or – even worse – you’ve waited so long to wear it that the dress you’ve been hoarding is either out of style, or you’ve found something else to wear instead. Those items you were worried you’d wear out, meanwhile, often end up never getting worn AT ALL – so you end up with a closet full of pristine clothes which you never, ever wear… and a small collection of “everyday” items that always look a little the worse for wear.

I lived like this for years before it occurred to me that I was wasting my money by constantly buying things and then carefully packing them away, never to see the light of day. What’s more, the clothes I DID deem “not special” enough to worry about, were always old and shabby looking, and I never felt good in them – because how can you feel good in clothes that you don’t consider “special”.

 

Isn’t that crazy? Seriously, who on earth would ever think it was a good idea to actively avoid wearing the clothes they loved?

why I don't keep things for best

*sheepishly raises hand*

I don’t do it any more, I hasten, to add: or not ALL the time, anyway. I have to admit that I do sometimes find it hard to justify wearing something expensive, just to sit in my home office all day, but, for the most part, I no longer refuse to wear the clothes I love most. There just isn’t time for that, is there? I mean, I hate to kill anyone’s mood, but no one really knows what’s around the corner, do they? And while some of the regrets you have in life are unavoidable, others aren’t: and wearing clothes you love is one of them. No, it’s maybe not the most important one, and  it might not change your life – it will, however, make it it a little bit brighter. Shouldn’t every day be special, after all?

1 Comment

  • I totally agree with your comments about not keeping cloths for a ‘special’ occasions. I read an article very similar to this a little while back, only it was about wearing your favourite jewellery! We do the same with jewellery as we do with cloths…….keep it put away for those special days! But as you say, we don’t know what’s around the corner?! So we should consider everyday, a ‘Special’ day and go ahead and wear our favourite cloths and jewellery……everyday!! Thanks for your article.

    Carol

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