Closet Voyage

Try opening one of your closets. (If you are a male reading this, I mean your wife’s closet.) What do you see?  

My aunt, a frugal Ilocana, advised me one day, “If you have not worn or used something for two years, you will never wear or use it again. So give it away to someone who needs it.”  She said that when she heard me gushing over a mall where all goods go on sale every quarter.  

Those were grace words I never took seriously till I left the corporate world and found myself at home more often than in malls that go on sale. And then came the pandemic, which changed my life thereafter! 

And so when I opened one closet one day, my vision suddenly cleared and beheld all the things I had not used/worn in two years.  

I opened another closet, and there they were! I pulled them out (not that easily; some I thought I could still wear after losing the weight I gained during the Covid-19 lockdowns) and donated them to our church’s rummage sale or to victims of calamity—whichever was more urgent at the moment.  

May I now invite you to go on a closet voyage (unless you’ve beaten me to the draw)? You’ll find “trash” that were once “treasures” and you’ll be surprised at how much/many you want to give away. 

Your closet will thank you for the extra breathing space. And you will understand, as I now do, what Paul meant when he enjoined the Philippians (chapter 4:11-12 NLT), “Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything . . .” 

To the men (including Tony beloved), here’s a gentle nudge. Ask yourself silently: How can I share with others and say bon voyage to what I have found in my wife’s closets?    

Note: This was written during the pandemic, when Tony was constantly teasing me about my bursting closets. But by fluke or absent-mindedness, this post was never uploaded. I am going through the same closet voyage while our house is being repaired. Suddenly, I miss Tony's ribbing.