A girl with many hats ...

There are many hats in my closet, although you can't see them.

Some are thread-bare from over-use, whilst others are nearly brand new.

The range is quite extensive for someone my age -- hard hats to floppy hats, hats from Africa to Europe, and a variety of coloured hats. A green hat for the garden, a red hat to stand out in the crowd, a yellow hat for positivity, a white hat for thoughtfulness, and blue hats for those hard-to-deal-with days. As each new day arrives, I instinctively reach for the appropriate hat ... or hats.

Whilst basking in the early morning light in my bathroom the other day I began thinking about one hat in particular. Recently I had removed it from its storage place at the back of my closet ... it having been there for 10 years meant it needed quite a bit of dusting off. However, I wore it, with pride, for one whole year (amongst others, because you are not limited to wearing one invisible hat!). But finally, last November, I discarded it.

So what to do with this hat now?

At this stage in my life I feel like I am cleansing; cleansing parts of my life which are too complicated, too much of a burden, or unsupportive of my chosen direction. Where did this hat fit in? Well, it certainly had been tried and tested. And it looked good on me. But, somehow, it did not quite fit ...

And at that moment, I realised I could not keep it. It no longer belonged in my closet. So I closed my eyes and then shredded it. Just like that! I expected to feel a little sadness, but I didn't. In fact, I felt ... relieved.


Amazingly enough, two days after the shredding episode, I was asked about this hat and whether I would wear it again. "No", I answered, "I have decided not to wear it ever again." "Never?" "Never", I replied with confidence.

Little does he know there are two more hats I am adding to my collection!

*grin*