A Peek Inside The Closet

Over time, some people have asked me, "where do you keep all those boots in your collection?" ... fair question.

I live with someone who doesn't like clutter, and who has some trouble walking so we have to keep the floors clear so he won't trip. In fact, that's how my website began back in early 2005. My partner had entered our bedroom and tripped over a pair of boots. Let's say the resulting "discussion" wasn't pretty. But what happened soon after that is that I organized my boots and took some pictures, which eventually became the hyper-organized view of my boot collection on my website.

This past weekend, my partner and I spent a significant amount of time doing housecleaning in advance of our big Thanksgiving event. Some people do this once-a-year scrub-the-baseboard thorough cleaning in the Spring. We do it now, since this is the only time of year that we entertain.

As we were cleaning, my partner was saying things like, "these boots seem to be multiplying," or "they're like rabbits... you have one, then it seems like you have six." Then, entirely on his on volition, on Saturday afternoon he removed a bunch of clothes that he doesn't wear from a section of one of our closets and said, "install some more shelves for your boots here, now that there is room."

I decided to go through the same closet and find clothing that I won't wear any more -- mostly t-shirts and golf shirts with my former employer's name on it -- and gather them for donation, too. Removing those clothes from the closet opened up a fairly large amount of room. In fact, so large, 27 pairs of boots fit nice and neatly on new shelving that didn't take long to install, and newly-opened closet floor space. Best yet, the boots are so well-organized that it is easier for me to find boots that I want to wear, from tall cop boots to motorcycle boots to cowboy boots to work boots. Because I change boots several times each day, having that number of boots at the ready is great. No longer do I have to run into the basement boot closet for a day's choice. Instead, I can just rotate boots from the basement closet to the upstairs new storage area once a week or so.

Hmmm... and to think that at one time I once resisted all this "get your stuff organized" commentary from my partner. I found it a drudge and a chore. But now, I know that going through these periods of cleaning and organizing has long-term benefits. (Including additional "benefits" that my partner showed me for his appreciation on my being a good sport about doing this work with nary a complaint. Whew!)

Life is short: Wear your boots!