I waited impatiently at the counter while another woman meticulously inspected the clothes I handed her.
The minutes dragged by as she separated my clothes into two piles, presumably into keep and discard piles.
“Ok. So I’ll take these but give you back these,” as she handed me back an armload of perfectly good clothes. Clothes that I even wear to work for goodness sakes.
“These clothes I’m giving back to you are either out of style or the wrong season. Plus, next time, you need to clean and press everything before you bring them in here.”
Ouch. The ironing comment really hurt because I do not iron. I’m a wash and wear or dryclean girl. Who has time to iron?
My mom often wonders where she went wrong in my upbringing. Every weekend when we talk on the phone I ask her what she’s doing or will be doing this weekend. The answer ALWAYS includes, “I have to iron my uniforms for the week.” But I digress…
In my continued effort to declutter and to refresh my summer wardrobe, I brought an armload of clothes to the consignment store this weekend. And now the woman was handing me back half of them again.
As irrational as it seems as I write this blog post, I felt personally rejected walking back to my car.
What do you mean my clothes aren’t good enough for you? They were good enough for me to wear, I mumbled to myself. Talk about a kick to the self-esteem.
Reminds me of the time when we moved several years ago and I called the Salvation Army to pick up our living room sofa we were donating.
They wouldn’t take it! Said it was too scratched up and dirty or some such nonsense.
Hey, my family has LIVED on this sofa for the past 5 years and now you’re telling me that it’s not fit for human use? It’s not the “Poppy couch” for crying out loud. (You Seinfeld junkies understand the reference.)
When I told Andrew my plight, he dryly commented that no one wanted my “muffin stumps.” (Another Seinfeld reference. Can you tell we are Seinfeld junkies in our house?)
Just as I apparently need to refresh my wardrobe, you probably need to refresh your Family Succession Plan if you haven’t done so in a while. My rule of them is to review your plan every 3-5 years unless you have a major life event in the meantime. We gladly review Florida plans we have crafted for clients and plans drafted by other attorneys. You can schedule your review consultation by calling our office. 850-439-1191
So, tail tucked between my legs, I hauled my reject clothes back into the house. It somehow seemed cruel to bring them to Goodwill, almost like putting them down.
So there my sad, tired clothes hang in our guest room while I decide their fate. Out of date, growing stale. Which is not how I recommend you treat your Family Succession Plan.
Kristen “Feeling Rejected” Marks
