So I’ve got these 3 fantastic vests. The 1st is a midweight BlackDiamond vest a friend gifted me when he realized that medium was too big for him. The 2nd is a heavyweight Marmot vest he gifted to me for the same reason. The 3rd is a puffy vest I bought from REI back when I was on the road.
I love wearing vests when it’s cold. I wear one when I workout and need to ward off the chill in the garage. I wear one over a fleece when I’m walking the dog during the absolutely beautiful fall and spring seasons in Raleigh. I wear one under my winter coat when it’s bone-chillingly cold outside and the wind is whipping.
The first two are kind of big on me. They droop a bit and hang a little low. But that’s OK because nobody ever sees them. The last one seemed like a perfect fit.
Until I caught my reflection in the mirror yesterday and saw it draping over me like a potato sack.
Like my friend, I too am not a medium. I’m a small.
I hate buying stuff. The last thing I want to do is buy a new vest when I have 3 perfectly good vests in my closet. But I don’t need 3 vest that are too big. I need one vest that fits.
So, I dropped off my 3 vests for donation today and ordered one small Columbia Vest – in black so it matches anything I would wear it with.
I can live with this.
Over the past 3 years, I’ve completely revamped my wardrobe. First, I got rid of everything and replaced it with a small wardrobe focused on road life/camping/survival chic.
Then, after dropping 20 lbs, I slowly replaced my Large sized clothing with mediums that fit me better. As first, everything felt too tight and constrictive. I was used to oversized, bulky clothing.
Now, I’m realizing that mediums are still too big for me. No wonder I had to shorten all the sleeves on my shirts. This also explains how I could wear 4 layers and still feel cold in winter.
I’ve not dropped any weight in the past year or so. I tend to remain within 5 lbs +- of where I am today. So I’m not shrinking from medium. I’m just finally learning how to dress myself.
At 54 years old. It’s about time, I guess.