A Moment of Transition

This is our fourth winter in Santa Fe. When we moved here, the furniture we moved from Connecticut fit the style of our new home just fine. All of my wardrobe made the move. We haven't made changes much in clothes or furniture or household goods, we just transferred what we had to our new place.

At first I thought I would start wearing lots of western wear and I also thought I would furnish my home with southwest decor, but we never went with the regional New Mexico shtick. We own the same stuff and we wear what we always wore. Works fine for us. We're not into costumey clothes or decor.

But recently I had a moment. A sense of transitioning from one life to another. The catalyst was a black leather jacket.

Years ago in Connecticut I bought a black leather round collar short swing jacket that I loved -- buttery soft, a real wardrobe investment. Leather! It was gorgeous.

Since our move to Santa Fe, this jacket has had zero occasions to be worn, and we're into the 4th year now. Zero times out of the closet. It's too black, too much leather, too shiny, too heavy for the casual, light, color-rich feel of Santa Fe. This jacket is too northeast, too New York.

But still. It was quality. This jacket was the softest, most buttery leather. Jim took a picture of me in it one time on our way out for an event. I even posed, which is weird, but look at that leather jacket.

Last week I got rid of it. Purging it from my closet was a significant moment.Apparently I am no longer an east coast black leather jacket wearing person. I'm not. I'm New Mexican now. 

Getting rid of an investment in my former life was liberating. Acknowledging that I live in a new place with a different style was kind of a moment in our journey from life-long east coast people to southwest transplants. It felt meaningful.

I miss the idea of that jacket, but not the item. I've moved on.