After a week of downpours, Monday broke clear and blue and cool. I sat on a bench at the park, soaking the sun, while Lu chased a ball. As I watched all the kids running here and there, it suddenly dawned on me: these toddlers were better dressed than I was!
"So many great outfits!" I said to the woman sitting next to me. "Is it just me, or are kids just so cute these days?"
"Well, when we were growing up there just wasn't this much stuff," she pointed out, laughing.
Good point!
Chris and I have been really lucky so far. A kind neighbor across the street has given us so many bags of hand-me-downs we haven't had to buy any clothes in almost a year! But not everyone has someone living so close with such good taste--what can they do to eliminate the sheer volume of stuff contributing to the planet's already bulging baggage?
The obvious, of course, is to shop at thrift stores. But if you really want to create a stir, I recommend doing what a friend of mine recently did. The week before school started, she arranged for a community clothing swap. It was a huge success! People unloaded their closets of clutter, and kids walked away with great new outfits at no cost. Obviously, Lucy isn't in school yet, but I don't see why we couldn't arrange for such a thing within our neighborhood.
I'll let you know how it goes!
Comments