gone going

I'm sorry. This is a rant. I warned you, it was only a matter of time before this happened, you should have known... I can't help it, I have so much to say and such a big audience now. Five followers! I know, I know, if everyone could please stop following me, it's getting a little annoying having so many of you.

Okay, so, here's the thing. I really wish we could erase clothing from that list of "things we spend money on". I'm not saying I'm a saint and that I only own five shirts and one pair of jeans. No,  this is coming from the perspective of someone addicted to buying purses, shirts, earrings; you get the point. I buy my clothes semi-cheap, but I can't justify having five swimsuits and all the other things I bought because I thought I needed them. Wait, can we first stop and talk about what that word need  really means?

"A need is something that is necessary for organisms to live a healthy life. Needs are distinguished from wants because a deficiency would cause a clear negative outcome, such as dysfunction or death."

Blah blah blah, a need: something you have to have in order to be happy? Something you have to have to survive?

Sometimes, I think I need clothing to make myself feel confident. If I like my outfit, I'm about 69 times more outgoing then if I don't. We are all in this constant, look-good-and-notice-who-else-looks-good daily struggle. And if you aren't, you're lying to yourself, you're over 50, or you need to enlighten me- right now. I'm confident I'm not alone because I've stepped into friends' closets, filled with more shirts then I've ever owned in my entire life, doting more shoes than a department store... and don't even get me started on those $130 buckle jeans everyone owns. Some of my friends come to class consistently dressed up like they are fresh out of a Cosmogirl magazine, never repeating an outfit, always have a new accessory, and looking absolutely perfect.

AND I am in no way saying this is wrong. I absolutely love seeing everyone's cute clothes! I think maybe I focus on it more than the average being, honestly. I just love clothes. Billabong, Roxy, Forever 21, love it, love it, love it. I wish I could dress like you, you perfect, beautifully dressed models, you. The thing is though, I like all of you for you, not just because you have good style-- not just because you look attractive. If you acted the same way dressed in a Wal-mart t-shirt and ten dollar jeans, I would appreciate you just the same. And if I didn't, the error would be in my own thinking, and not yours.

I'm not saying that you should let yourself go, never shower, never do your hair again, etc., because I am a huge fan of hygiene, seriously. I will appreciate you the same if you don't spend 50 dollars on your next shirt, but if you skip deodorant it might be a little harder.

The point of all of this is, if we all quit buying so much into the fashion industry, maybe everyone would stop making such an effort to spend money on clothing and other things we don't really need. I have met plenty of  people in my life who own very little and are genuinely, divinely, happy. My family members in Peru live in a two bedroom concrete house with no hot water, cement flooring, no heater, and yes, about five shirts to their name. And they don't care. They wear the same shirt twice a week, own only one nice suit or dress, and they are some of the happiest people I've met.

When you die, the only things you will truly take with you are your memories and life experiences. You can leave behind mountains of clothing and possessions, but the things people are really going to remember about you are the memories you made with them, how you made them feel, and how you influenced their lives.