I'm Poor Sarcastically, Rich Realistically.

64.

58.

Those numbers together: 122.

Alright, so... I have this lazy tendency not to follow through with washing my laundry. Sometimes it's because I'm waiting until all my clothes are washed (since I don't always wash right when the basket it half full or more) before I start folding any putting them away. Sometimes it's because I "forget." And others is because I just don't feel like it. Most of the time it's a random combination of the above.

Last night as I was falling asleep with my legs wrapped up in my clothes that had been there for at least two days, I determined to fold them tomorrow after work. Well, a few minutes ago I just finished that task.

As I was folding, I was listening to Amharic music. And like most thoughts in my day, I was remembering Ethiopia. At times it felt like I was back there because on my washing days I would plug up my tunes and get to washing; and the Foster Home would blare their music whenever they have a full house cleaning day.

Well, as I was reflecting on Ethiopia, I started to consider what I was doing in its reality. For days I've kept a stash of clothes on my bed that I would get when needed, or just remained there as I depleted my "collection" in my closet and dresser. It was actually crazy to see the many clothes. So, as a point to myself I began counting my clothes as I put them away.

• Undergarments--18 articles
• Shorts--8
• Acceptable Shirts--13 (Note: By acceptable and unacceptable, I'm referring to whether or not I would where this out of the house. So, another way of putting it: in-house, or out-house shirts.)
• Unacceptable Shirts--11
• Pants--6
• Sleep pants--1
• Hang-up shirts--7

That totals up to being 64 articles of clothing. But in actuality, that's about 64 articles of unneeded clothes, because I then did a follow-up count of clothes that were already in my closet and dresser.

• Hang-up shirts--32
• Pants--2
• Undergarments--5
• Acceptable Shirts--6
• Unacceptable Shirts--4
• Shorts--2
• Pants--7(Sleep pants, Wind pants, and Regular pants)

That amounts to 58 articles of clothing. And for sake of parallelism, these clothes would be considered my "needed" clothing. A grand total of 122 of clothes.

That's a ridiculous amount when compared to Ethiopia when the average family I've encountered would have 2-5 shirts, 1-3 pants, 0-1 pairs of shoes, etc.


But, to retract the comparison, let's go back to me(since I can't put you under the microscope and examine and judge you). It's obviously not a need to have 122 pieces of clothing. While I was in Ethiopia I did pretty well with just 7-8 of everything. So my grand total then was 21-30 articles of clothing. I wasn't left to wander the streets naked because of my "lack" of clothes. Sure I often resorted to re-wearing clothing at least for 2 days, but most days the only way you could tell was the fact that Monday I wore 'Serenity' and then Tuesday or Wednesday I wore 'Serenity' again within days of each other. But even with wearing clothes at least twice before washing, I made it a "habit" to recycle my clothes. If I wore a shirt Monday, then at the end of the day I would put it in the back of my closet so that Tuesday I would have a different shirt, and that the days following that, until the end of the week came, I would were different shirts.

And that might be the thing that confuses me the most. The need to never be seen wearing the same shirt/outfit two days in a row (or even on cases of once-a-week "wear-ness," wearing the same shirt two Sundays in a row).

When I went to Ethiopia I experienced very few instances of Culture Shock. I never curled up in a ball, rocking myself back and forth at the atrocities I might have witnessed (Cow slaughtering right there in the open in multiple locations; dog food being goat heads; public restrooms). I adapted pretty well overall--no jet lag, no severe homesickness, no culture shock.

When I returned home, I still didn't have jet lag, but I did have homesickness. But there was no Reverse Culture Shock. Perhaps the main reason is I also have a tendency of blocking out and ignoring that which doesn't concern me. If people spend thousands of dollars on entertainment, sports tickets, whatever, I didn't really care. Sure it happened, but it didn't affect me. Personally, I know few people who actually do spend thousand of dollars on frivolous things.
Sure there have been moments where I've looked at what others have said/wanted/etc. that I might have scoffed at ("My mom didn't buy me an iPad! I hate her!") or could have humorously related to ("Microwave didn't heat my food all the way through, now I have to wait another 30 seconds[or I have to eat half-cold, half-hot food]").

But now I'm here, looking at my amount of clothes, beginning to realize how frivolous certain aspects of my thoughts, actions, and possessions are. Really, what need do I have for 100+ clothes? What need do I have for more than 30 hang up shirts? Why is it so important that I not be seen wearing my purple shirt two Sundays in a row, even if it was washed during the week? Why do I feel OK with having clothes I don't need that end up on the bed for half a week? Why do I have to say "OK, shirt dirty" if I just wear it fresh after taking a shower and going into an air conditioned car to then enter an air conditioned building where I hardly touch anything that transfers grime to my clothes?

Of course I should live a life where people can be attracted to my character and countenance and then point to Christ. Of course I shouldn't live a life that repels people. But where does courtesy cross the line into obsession? Why does it matter if I wear the same shirt in the same week? Why does it matter if I don't throw my shirt in the dirty clothes if it doesn't look or smell dirty? Why does any of it matter?

Perhaps it's a whole concept of looking new each day. Our memory often associates sounds, sights, smells, and actions as memory triggers. Perhaps it's because we may have done something that day in those clothes that could trigger memories in me or others that just the other day I did this or that.
Or maybe it isn't. And we are just so gung-ho about our image and appearance that it's ridiculous to wear the same things, therefore we need 100, 200, 300 items of clothing to change up our image from day to day; to look better, smarter, cooler, funnier, more helpful, more approachable, more sophisticated.

So then, it's all appearance. It's all external.
And that's where we need to be different. To live different. We need to be focused on our internal. We should strive to wear a different shirt of the fruit of the Spirit each day. Monday: Love. Tuesday: Gentleness. Wednesday: Kindness. And so on and so forth. God has multiple characteristics; our countenance should demonstrate His diversity. If we always walk somber, then God is portrayed as a somber Deity. If we always walk around with righteous anger to sin, God is portrayed as stickler for rules.

I don't know. I'm really not sure where I'm going with this. I wanted to draw up a concept, a nugget. Something about we shouldn't be so diverse in our outward appearance that we maintain the stagnant inward appearance, but every time I try to rewrite the sentence, it gets erased.

I really can't explain it. It's just a weird culture thing that sets me aback. It's so vital to wear different clothes. But why? If we wear the same shirt two Sundays in a row, are we going to get lynched? If I don't throw my shirt into the dirty clothes bin after the first time I wear it out of the house, despite how little dirty it is when the day is over, will I get stoned?

Sure these are ridiculous questions. But it's a ridiculous situation. Why do I have so many clothes? Why have I never realized this? Why have I seen it fine to not be done with laundry until three-four loads are done?


Perhaps it's time to purge my clothes.

But perhaps a more vital issue and thought: Perhaps I need to experience and express more of the Fruit of the Spirit. Why only have one? Why show only one side of God? God is unfathomable, so why just shine a keyring flashlight on one part of his essence?