Old clothes, new memories!

Yesterday morning, early enough by most standards, I was suddenly seized with the urge to do something that had been in the back of my mind for awhile. Which negates that it was a spontaneous action in the first place, but the early morning timing of it certainly was. I hurriedly punched in the numbers to deactivate the alarm system, got into my flip flops and thump-thumped my way down the stairs to where I knew I would most likely find it. There were a couple of boxes on top which I had to lift out of the way first. But underneath them all, there it was. Just as I thought it would be. Covered ever so carefully in plastic sheet on top, blocking out any source of dust or moth. I eagerly prized away the covering, and laid my hands on one single object on the top, lifted it out and measured it with my eye. Yup! It was about right. And when I looked inside at a tag, it said '3T'. This was it!

All of Winkie's 4-5 year clothes, carefully sorted some 3 years ago, the good pants, the good shirts, the still nice tees, and all laid neatly into this box, and covered up and put away so that in another 3 years, when the need for it was born, it could be opened again.

And as I found it again and opened it yesterday, I realised how intensely delightful this process has been for me. How I love buying clothes for their wardrobe, careful of price, mindful of colour and cognizant of my own tastes and preferences. How much of freedom I have in this enterprise and how it is my choice that they carry out on their backs, every single day. Its pretty amazing, when I get down and think about it. How much of delight they take when they have a new shirt to wear one fine day. To this day, I have never heard one negative remark, except for when only one kid has a new thing to wear, and the other doesn't, because the need doesn't call for it.

It is one of my simple pleasures every morning, to pick out something for them, and make sure the creases are out before they get it on. Winkie still hasn't reached that point of separateness where he wants to choose for himself. He is happiest when I do it for him. I love to see the end result of that everyday, as they walk in hair neatly combed, lip balm glistening on their lips, a dash of vibhuti faintly on their foreheads. Winkie almost always sneaks up on me quietly, to take me by surprise and contains his excitement at showing himself off with a very shy smile, which gets shyer when he notes the appreciation on my face. The little guy on the other hand comes tumbling down the stairs, every footstep marked and pronounced and even before I see him, I hear the ta-da!, in grand announcement! But quiet or all-out-there, they both wait for that same appreciative glance and exuberance from me in turn and I love to give it.


The novelty of a new shirt wears off sometime after the second use of it, and I think I say that more from my p.o.v, (for Winkie is still in raptures over his Mario PJ's bought 2 months back!), and it definitely doesn't last as long as that eventual day when the hem of the pantline is a good but sudden 2 inches short of the feet. When did this happen?, I wonder. I swear it fit him just last week! And after the next round of laundry, I put it away in a corner, the place where everything they have outgrown goes, happy that the rate at which this pile grows is still at a very manageable level for me. :) If its Thambi's, then 'Goodwill' is the usual recipient, after all the quality sorting and that goodbye isn't at all hard for me. And if its Winkie's.....ahhh! if it's Winkie's, then I linger just a little bit longer over those....knowing that there will come a day when I see it again. That when I see it again, it will be to clothe the form of yet another that is a piece of my heart.


And so, after that long winded and protracted attempt at sharing exactly what opening that box means to me...let me just say that yesterday was also the day we christened the first of those clothes. Thambi was pretty thrilled that he had a whole new box of clothes just for him. I was thrilled that I would be reliving some of those yester-memories, while anticipating the ones up ahead. And this feeling lasts all through the use of the box, until the very last garment is extracted and worn. And the faint aroma of it still hangs in the air, for many more wash cycles after. And so here he is, wearing the sweater Winkie wore to his 1st grade music concert, which shrunk in that very first wash and now fits the little imp nicely, with enough wiggle room too. Its amazing how much of personality he can insert into them and make those older memories truly a thing of the past!