If you knew your time on earth was limited....how would you dress?

DB2329

DB2329

Member
Apr 14, 2009
178
0
#1
Hello Everyone....

Tonight I spoke to a friend who lost someone very close to her...despite her grief we spoke about some good moments that they shared. Their shared birthday was approaching on March 28th and they spend it together every year ritually cutting their cake. She remembered that he purchased a blazer for this years celebration and had it tailored to fit perfectly....it's hanging in his closet now never to be worn.

After getting off the phone with her my mind still can't rest. Life is very short and we never know when our last day will come. How many times do we run out the door not caring how we look ? How many times do we look whistfully at that special item in our closet and save it for a special occasion? This reminds me of a chain e-mail that went around about a widower who lost his wife and found expensive lingerie that she was always saving for a special occasion. I grew up in a very frugal family and as a result I always save things for special events afraid of messing them up....I have a ridiculous amount of shoes and i never wear all of them enough. I think a re-evaluation of behavior is in order.

So...here's my question for you : If you knew your days were numbered would it change how you put yourself together before walking out the door? Would you wear your favorite items more? :cloud9:
 
Last edited:
#2
If I knew I had a limited time to live, I doubt fashion would actually be on my mind. Indeed, I'd likely spend less time considering what to wear than I do now because experiences would matter more. Seeing and being with people, discussions and doing things would matter more.

You are right that I think most of us have too many items that we rarely wear, but they were usually purchased with that intention. If they were worn often, they wouldn't BE special, KWIM? And so wearing some items rarely makes them matter more when we do put them on.

I understand that your question is more about living life to its fullest and not holding back, but I guess clothing just wouldn't top my list as something to lament about. I wouldn't look back and regret not wearing that special dress or those fabulous heels. I might regret that I felt like my outfit was too nice to play in the leaves with the kids or my shoes were too uncomfortable to run, but I doubt I would regret not being dressed well enough.
 
#3
Thank You HauteMama..... I think I'm just stunned...it is very superficial to focus only on fashion....and my question is more about living life to the fullest and not holding back. For some reason I just can't get that picture of the blazer hanging in the closet out of my mind :sad:
 
#4
i don't think it would change how i dress. the only thing similar would probably be that i'd be naked or dress super slutty right before i die...that's more about going out with a bang though.
 
#5
Ummm, fashion would not be the foremost thought on my mind if I knew my time is limited. I would probably spend the whole day naked with my DH, just to remember if I could to my grave and beyond how he is like in his purest state, his beauty.
 
#7
i actually find this topic to be more relevant than perhaps it would first appear. while many people write off fashion as purely a superficial & shallow pursuit, i view it as a passion and a major defining element of my personality. for me, shopping is akin to any other hobby. it's a social activity through which i have met many of my dearest friends, the ones who truly understand the way i think and view the world.

we hear so many stories about people who have some terminal illness spending their limited remaining time doing what they always loved; for example, many newspapers reported that the late Senator Ted Kennedy "sailed as much as his health allowed in his last months." is it so wrong to want to "be as well dressed as my health allows" in my last months?

this topic is especially close to my heart because of my own personal history. my father passed away when i was 12, only 6 months after being diagnosed with leukemia. also, one of my cousins discovered at the age of 28 that she had a rare blood disease and she passed away less than a year after her diagnosis.

these events have hugely impacted the way i approach my life. i use and enjoy every item i purchase to the fullest because i know there's no guarantee that "next time" will come around. along the way, i've discovered that treating each day as an opportunity to experience life makes every day feel like a special occasion worth celebrating.
 
#8
lvpigy...Thanks for the excellent post...I completely agree...I would be dressed to the
max...no saving for special...no worrying is this appropriate...I would simply enjoy my fashion sense...and I would be as well dressed as my condition would allow...Going out in style would be my pleasure...Looking as good as I could would be my game...There is definitely joy in that...Interesting topic...
 
#9
Ya know, I put my mother in the ground last October and I was keenly aware of wanting to look extremely sophisticated and attractive in her honer.....as if she would "see" me and smile and say, "You look really pretty,sweetheart". I would,of course, celebrate life in many ways but YES, I would wear the best that I have all the time!!! I understand your thinking.:cloud9::love:;):smooch:
 
#10
Well, do not want to start a new thread in the relationship cat. and is kinda using this one to remember the date....

My BIL just had a heart attack either last night or this morning and had died in his sleep peacefully. He is in his mid 30s only and have only been married for a year leaving behind his lone wife. I just got the call from MIL at around 11 ish.

Life is just wayyyy too short not to have a straight set of priorities... which is "life is precious" in memories of that person itself.
All the rest is really just dust and ashes.
 
#11
LV Piggy - I completely agree with you there.

I would spend every single cent I could get my hands on and put a couple of Hermes croc's on my credit card and maybe the odd chinchilla coat too - let American Express worry about the bill :smile:
 
#12
I think it is more about discovering the joie de vivre.

For some people, that includes clothing.

I would wear the craziest outfits I am too afraid to normally wear.
 
#13
How we view clothing is part of it, and I would encourage everyone to live life to its fullest, regardless of their health status. But all I can think is that I'd want to dance in the rain, play in the leaves, run in the park with the kids, tear off my clothes and swim in the ocean or snuggle up with my dh. In none of those situations would beautiful clothing be necessary to the experience.

I am not saying clothes don't matter; they are a big part of how we perceive ourselves and how others perceive us. But many of my best experiences have been when I wasn't afraid of kicking off my shoes and DOING something. So definitely wear what you love daily, but looking good should not get in the way of living and doing things.

We've all experienced losses of people important to us who were young and healthy, and I guess it impacts us all differently. But never once have I recalled what my father, my BIL or my cousin were wearing in my memories of them because it didn't matter. I am guessing the people closest to me will feel the same when I am gone. They will remember what we did, what we said and how we felt, not what I wore.
 
#14
lolitakali said:
Well, do not want to start a new thread in the relationship cat. and is kinda using this one to remember the date....

My BIL just had a heart attack either last night or this morning and had died in his sleep peacefully. He is in his mid 30s only and have only been married for a year leaving behind his lone wife. I just got the call from MIL at around 11 ish.

Life is just wayyyy too short not to have a straight set of priorities... which is "life is precious" in memories of that person itself.
All the rest is really just dust and ashes.
Click to expand...

So sorry about your BIL. May you, his wife and the rest of his family have peace and comfort.
 
#15
cindyuwho said:
So sorry about your BIL. May you, his wife and the rest of his family have peace and comfort.
Click to expand...

Before leaving out of state for the funeral (be gone from here a few days), really wanted to say...

Thanks much for that thought.

-----------------------------------------

P.S. Don't mean to "side track" the thread and my apologies for that. My intentions were just a documenting of time & coincidences, purely that. Back on to topic, back on to topic.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top
Back