New: /n(y)o͞o/

New: /n(y)o͞o/ : not existing before; made, introduced, or discovered recently for the first time.
 
Nine months into this one year challenge and I still haven’t purchased any new clothes.  I’ve gotten used to just pulling something out of my closet and heading to work.  Nothing in my closet is “new” to me at this point.  Even the items I’ve reworked or restyled.  They are just “there”.
 
Last week I threw on a white linen blouse I bought from Target almost two years ago.  I even remember the exact day because it was my 40th birthday and I wanted something “fun” to wear to the party.  It’s a cute beachy top with gold accents.  Anyways, it was on clearance for $7 and I’ve worn it a lot since then.
 
Back to present day and I have this top on at the office.  It’s not new, so of course it’s lost all its excitement factor.  I’m walking out of the breakroom and a new co-worker stops me and says, “Omg, I love your top!” 
 
At first I was bewildered and wondered if she was talking to me.  I reply, “Umm, this?  Oh, thank you.”  She goes on to ask where did I buy it and how much was it.  We chatted for a minute or so and I walked away feeling a lot better about my outfit choice.
 
In that moment that blouse became “new” again.  My co-worker was being introduced to it for the first time and reacted to it the way I did when I first saw it hanging on the rack at Target. 
 
Since that day I’ve been picking my outfits with this question in mind – “Have they seen this yet?”  We all have outfits we wear over and over because they are cute and comfortable, but maybe it’s time to reach past those in the closet.  I know I’ve said it before, but your older clothes want to be worn too! 
 
To someone who hasn’t been shopping in almost 10 months, it’s pretty awesome to realize that “new” doesn’t just mean “new” to me.  My clothes are new to every single person who’s seeing them for the first time. 
 
I feel like I have worn almost EVERYTHING in my closet over the last 10 months, but now I want to dig a little deeper in those drawers and see what else is in there.  I’m excited to see what other “new” clothes I already own. 

My twin sister, Windy, on the left and myself on the right, the night of our 40th birthday party and the first time I wore that clearance top.