The second phrase in the
October Dress Project motto is 'pro-simplicity'. This one is a little
more straightforward than the last. I think it's also very easy for
most participants to relate to: the need for more time, less
complexity, and less stress in their lives.
The 'pro-simplicity' part
of the motto is, like the last phrase, a two-sided coin. It helps
women who are too busy (or too lazy) to put the time they'd like into
their dressing, the women who throw on some jeans and a t-shirt every
day and get on with their lives, to keep that simplicity of routine
but to do it more beautifully. I think it is important to allow for a
distinction between simplicity-- a beautiful unclutteredness-- and
the kind of meager or impoverished living that is reflected by the
habit of being careless in dress. On the other side, the Project
helps the kind of woman who changes outfits three times before she's
happy leaving the house, or who spends more time than she ought
getting ready for the day, to question whether her concern for taking
care of herself and for beauty develop into a lifestyle of vanity,
shallowness, or selfishness.
'Pro-simplicity' also
reflects a concern for and awareness of those who have less. Many
people doing the Project find that they come away with an awareness
of their abundance and blessedness. In the month of November, they
may decide to clean our their closet and donate their clothes to a
thrift store where it can benefit the less fortunate. Some people
choose to support a specific charity through their Project the next
year they do it. I find for myself, the occasions when I stare into
my closet and say, “I have nothing to wear!” are much more rare
now than they were four years ago when I first started the Project.
In simplifying our approach to dress just for that one month a year,
we make waves in our life of generosity and contentment that last all
year.
Have a lesson you learned
like this from your last Project? Is your Project linked to a
charitable group or endeavour in some way this year? Let us know in
the comments. Happy Day Three!
