Enjoy your treasures!

Picture courtesy of Irene Kredenets via Unsplash.

I'm a saver. When I was a child, I'd save my Halloween candy until it was beyond stale. Summer would arrive, and I'd still have some Halloween candy left over. In fact, I'm pretty sure that by the time the following year's Halloween rolled around, I still had some candy from the previous year. (I should note that I was also a very disciplined child.)

As an adult, I used to save my favourite, most cherished clothes and accessories for special occasions.

Time would go by.

And then more time would go by.

And finally, a special occasion would pop up.

I'd eagerly hunt down that prized possession, perfect for that particular occasion... Only to discover that, in the meantime, it: had become woefully passé... or didn't fit the same way... or was tarnished beyond repair... or had aged so much that the elastic was shot... or had developed yellow age spots... or had fallen to pieces, leaving little bits of black foam everywhere I walked (my favorite platform boots! and 2 pairs of gorgeous criss-cross platform sandals from Browns... I'm still mourning those).

The shoes that inspired this post! These shoes are little over 10 years old. They were in really good shape until I put them on yesterday for a few minutes. In that time, the linings flaked off and the heels' black plastic top pieces shattered into little plastic shards all over the floor. *Sigh* I loved those shoes.

And I'd want to cry.

We all have items in our homes that we save for special occasions: valuable serving dishes or antique cutlery, guest towels or sheets. And we all have clothes in our closets that we've been saving for just the right moment. Perhaps the item is more formal than what we're used to. Or maybe it pushes us out of our comfort zone a little bit, and we haven't yet summoned up the courage to wear it. For whatever reason, these beloved pieces aren't enjoyed as much as they could be.

Now, at this point in time, we're mostly staying indoors and trying to make the best of things. All the styling experts (including me!) are instructing people to use this time to go through their wardrobes. Let me add this: when you do, pay attention to those rarely-worn treasured pieces that you are sure to rediscover.

And if they still fit beautifully. And if the metal hasn't tarnished. And if the elastic isn't shot. And if the plastic top pieces aren't shattering as you start walking in them and the insole isn't peeling off (as with my shoes, pictured above, may they rest in peace)...

Place those items in a visible area of your closet. Wear them to your next Friday night dinner.

Even if, because of the times we're living in, you're the only one there.