Sometimes, perhaps more often than we would like to admit, we purchase or acquire things because we think we’re going to look as good in them as someone else. The someone else usually being an airbrushed person in a billboard, or a super mega movie star who has makeup artists, hair stylists and assistants trailing them and constantly making adjustments. In short, fashion does not necessarily equal reality.
Every single being in the world has perhaps experienced this, because no part of the world, even the most remote and isolated community, goes without a discrepancy between seeing and being. Often it’s not even an issue of one’s body image or self-esteem. Sometimes it’s the incertitude and bewilderment of advertising and misadvertising.
For example, today’s object is a cream-colored knitted hat. I saw someone wearing one and decided I too wanted to wear one. I went in search of the same hat I saw and found it in the side streets of New York’s Chinatown. When I rushed home to try it on in my mirror I was confounded; it looked nothing like I had imagined. It’s taken years to figure out which hats go with my head, and also which hats go with each hair cut. It’s a complex and absurd science. I’ve also long since learned that everything looks completely different on every single being on this planet. Suffice it to say, I’ve never worn this hat and kept it because I did not want to be wasteful. But as always, it sits wastefully being unused.
So on Day 345 of my 365 Release practice for non-attachment, letting go and change, I am letting go of an image that was not my own and hope someone can find happiness in this hat.
Also, for those who have been asking how they can continue to be a part of my journey even after this project, you can subscribe to my monthly email newsletter here, where I share life lessons, contemplations of awesomeness and updates on projects such as this 365 Release and much more.
[I created the 365 Release Project to practice non-attachment, letting go and change by giving away 1 thing a day for 1 year. The background, vision and guidelines to the 365 RELEASE project are here. The running list of everything I have released is here.]
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