Alas, a Mess, Amass

So I've hit crazy woman spring cleaning mode. And in the process I've learned a few things:

1. My family collects some very eccentric books. Among the titles I shelved today include The History of HyVee (for those of you who are not Midwesterners, HyVee is a grocery store), Funeral Sermons, There Was an Old Woman who Swallowed a Fly, Discover Your Genius, Speed Cleaning (ironic), multiple copies of Lutheran hymnals...you get the idea.

2. For the first time ever in my life, I am a girl who has way too many clothes. Okay, to clarify, I have always had too much clothing, I have always been blessed with shelter and food and clothing with an element of fashion and abundance rather than the bare necessities. But you know those girls in movies, those girls in real life whose parents walk in their bedroom in exasperation, saying, "Leah! You have too many clothes!" Yeah, that was never me. Until now. I can't express to you how much this freaks me out. Thank God I still have my tomboy personality, or I wouldn't recognize myself.

***If anyone thinks I have lost my tomboy personality, inform me immediately and I will see a counselor and get it back.***

I have accumulated, probably realistically, 90% of my current wardrobe in the last three years. Mind you, I've gotten rid of a lot of stuff in the meantime, but still. I have more dresses, more black skirts, more babydoll tees, more jewelry, more everything intended for a girl* than I ever imagined I would have. My theory: I spent so many years wanting to be one of the boys around my brothers, and protested "girliness" so vehemently that it is backlashing me in my twenties. Who knows what kind of rebellion we'll see in my thirties, forties, oh boy.

*minus makeup, knock on wood

3. I seem to collect in my car, more than anything, the following:

a. issues of the NY Times
b. clothing (again with the clothing)
c. Starbucks cups
d. McDonald's and Wendy's wrappers (I am working on minimizing this)
e. green aprons

Sure, the piles amass quickly and become rather large and menacing to the passenger eye, but really, it's just a lot of clothes and current events. They won't bite. And if you get lucky, when you curl up with an apron-turned-blanket to read the Science Times, you just might find a Cheez-It or two. Now, to me, that's just a loving car.