“I’m so tired, and feeling worn out.”
“I feel so lonely and isolated. Never get out much any more.”
“I just don’t know if my life has meaning anymore. I feel unloved and unappreciated.”
“I feel your pain. Just hang in there.”
“What day is it, anyway?”
If my clothes could talk, I imagine these are some of the complaints they would utter to each other in the closet. And these sentiments would apply all the more so to my shoes and jewelry, not to my mention belts. Remember belts?
So, which clothes feel tired and worn out? Well, that’s easy: the four pairs of pants, seven shirts and five sweaters I wear week in and week out. They are overused, stretched out, a little ripped, often pilled and maybe even slightly stained. But they are my go-to wardrobe. These clothes are tired of being worn and I’m tired of wearing them. We all have COVID fatigue, my wardrobe and I.
However, clearly there is a comfort in the routine. Even though, for the most part, my mainstay items are stretched out and ready to move on to clothing afterlife, I refuse to part with them.
And I have zero motivation to purchase even a single item of new clothing. Why? What would be the point? Too much of a hassle. I work remotely and have no need whatsoever to dress for success. Speaking of which, the few dresses I own must be feeling particularly miserable and neglected. I did wear one or two of them in the past nine months just to feel a bit more professional for a webinar I hosted, but that was that.
And speaking of dressing up, there are two or three more recent tops with a bit of freshness and style that make an occasional appearance on webinars or any other opportunity for performing, such as with my choral group. They are my official “dress-up clothes.” I wonder if they feel special and good about themselves?
And my shoes collecting dust…have they lost their sense of purpose entirely? The winter boots are on the verge of feeling somewhat useful, but as for the rest, they are doomed to feeling neglected into the spring and maybe beyond.
My one pair of over-worn sneakers are about to be replaced—don’t tell them, as they might become depressed—by the one article of clothing I recently purchased: new sneakers identical to the old. A few weeks ago, I bravely ran into Marathon Sports, pointed to my worn-out sneakers and asked to try on an identical pair. You know what they say—if the shoe fits…I was in and out in five minutes!
So, to my tired wardrobe, my apologies for wearing you out and sharing my COVID fatigue with you. I guess you might say that we have a love-hate relationship. And to the rest of my clothing collection, I’m so sorry if you feel abandoned and neglected. Some of you will need to wait in any event until I resume Weight Watchers and drop the added COVID-related weight, which, of course, is not visible on Zoom. But, as they say, you can run, but you can’t hide.
Hopefully, some time in the not-too-distant future, life as we know it will return and the extra pounds will hopefully be dealt with. But for now, sleep in peace, dear neglected wardrobe. Your day in the sun will come, and you and I will happily emerge out of “Zoomdom” back into human contact and straight to the dry cleaners. Whatever you do, please don’t tell the frequently-worn items that they are probably destined for the trash bin.
And will a shopping spree to Bloomingdale’s be far behind?

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