KELLEY COLUMN: Decision making is nothing but a chore

By Donna Kelley, Sauk Prairie Eagle columnist

It's fall and it's time to clean out the closets, but I need a consultant.

A couple weeks ago, our daughter called to say she feels so free after tossing out a houseful of possessions. They downsized and went from five bedrooms to two bedrooms.

I asked her what she missed and she said loudly, "Nothing." She went on to lecture me about all of my clothes.

I told her she was being unfair. I do have a lot of clothes, but some of them are 20 years old.

I just never get rid of anything.

In a more understanding voice, our daughter pleaded with me to start getting rid of stuff. She advised me to make a rule, that if I haven't worn it in a year, I should bite the bullet and throw it out. Easier said than done.

But, I decided to give it a try. I unloaded almost everything from my closet, a second hall closet and a huge wicker basket and laid it all out on two twin beds. Then I started to go through things.

I swear to you, there was not one worthless thing in either of those 4-foot-high plies, but just looking at all of it made me feel like one of those hoarders on TV. Well, not the ones that hoard food or toys or other stuff, just a clothes hoarder.

I think part of my problem comes from repeated childhood dreams about being in church in my underwear.

Piece by piece, I have made my way through at least 200 pieces of clothing, making a decision about each piece.

Talk about stress. I'm a depression baby. The economy is not good. What if I need that purple lounge outfit I bought at my friend's garage sale in the late 90s? No, I haven't worn it yet, but I've often thought about it.

We were raised with "haste makes waste" and "if it still works, keep it working." Well, the lounging pajamas still work. But, I did it. I put them in the out box. Will I want them some cold winter night? My daughter says I won't even remember I had them. Maybe she's right. After all, I've forgotten them for more than eight years.

I've been at this cleaning thing for longer than a week and I feel like it's a good thing. Sure, I've gone out to the back hall, where three big leaf bags full of clothes are stored, and grabbed back a few pieces. Sure, next week I will have a sudden drastic need for a purple lounger or leopard print caftan or a pair of shorts with the price tag still in place, but that's the nature of decisions.

The blessing in all of this is that it's fall and there is still some leftover Halloween candy in the cupboard to pull me through those hard times ahead when the second-guessing takes over. Somewhere it is written, "The worst decision you can make is to make no decision at all." Well I did it and I have cleared the beds in time for Thanksgiving visitors.

As usual this year, I am thankful for my loyal readers and wish all of you a happy and safe Thanksgiving.