It’s OK to buy new jeans

This year got off to a slow and brutal start for me, so even though it’s the second day of March, I’m just now getting around to reflecting on 2021. I’m sure you understand.

As we all know, the past two years have been tough. If you are like me, you spent a lot of time just hunkering down, eating cookies and engaging in mind-numbing activities. Thinking too hard about the world around us has been difficult.

But I’ve been wanting to share the one really important thing that I can say I learned in 2021. 

Here it is:

It’s OK to buy new jeans. 

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Hang with me, because this is important.

During the past two years, I have expanded out of the tiny jeans that I could squeeze into back in 2019. One reason for this is actually a very positive one. My body is much healthier than it was a few years ago when I was struggling big time with my digestive system malfunctioning from Celiac Disease.

I can digest food now! I can absorb nutrition from my food! I’m no longer malnourished! Hooray!

But I can’t blame all of my weight gain on getting healthier. Large quantities of honey, dessert, lattes, hormones and getting older all have contributed. I’ve learned that for every 10 pounds I gain, I go up one size of jeans, and I’ve been able to jump a few sizes the past two years.

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Here’s the thing: I liked my old jeans.

I had invested a lot of money in those cute jeans, and so it’s been hard for me to admit they no longer fit. For a long time, I kept trying to squeeze into an old size and ended up feeling horrible about myself all day. Jeans that are too tight make you feel constantly self conscious about your new size, and not in a good way.

Then, one day back in 2021, I decided to just go buy some new jeans. Instead of buying cheap jeans that would work until I got back to my previous size, I invested in nice, cute jeans. In fact, I spent more money on my new jeans than I typically would have spent on a pair in the past. For me, that was a statement. I was admitting that I wasn’t going back. This was my. new. size.

And you know what? I suddenly felt great about myself! I felt cute and stylish. I no longer cared that they were two sizes larger than the jeans I used to wear. I stopped thinking about the weight I had gained.

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I realized I do this a lot in life. I want to hold on to the person I used to be. I want to squeeze into a role or a way of thinking that worked for me in the past. It’s not that what I did before was bad. But sometimes it’s time to move on. I don’t have to keep wearing old clothes that no longer fit who I’ve become.

The hardest part of buying new jeans was actually getting rid of the massive pile of old jeans in my closet. I had a crazy array of boot cut, jeggings, skinny jeans, flare, straight leg, colored denim and white jeans. I even had several pairs with rhinestones on the back pockets. They were all super cute when I bought them. But let’s face it. I was never going to wear those jeans again — even if they fit!

Still, packing them up and driving them to Goodwill was hard.

It’s hard to walk away from parts of your past that you loved. But we all need to step into new seasons, new challenges and new relationships.

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Now, a funny thing has happened this year as I’ve been wearing my new jeans. I’ve been making new friends who didn’t know me back in my size 6 days. They don’t look at me and wonder if I’ve gained weight. Their opinion of me isn’t based on a role I had in the past. They only see me as the person I am now and who I am becoming.

Of course, I absolutely love the friends who have been with me for decades and accept me no matter what. But it’s also kind of fun to know that I can reinvent myself.

So here’s what I’ve learned…

Maybe you are feeling stuck because you are holding onto something that you used to be. Maybe it’s hard to move forward or you aren’t ready to let go of THE YOU people used to know. I just want to reassure you:

It’s OK to buy new jeans.

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I want to say thank you to a bunch of you who bought my 2021 planner! Thank you, friends!

If you are like me and you are just now getting in a groove for the year, it’s not too late to take steps to get more organized.

You can check out my planner here! I would love for you to try it out this year!

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Tell me your thoughts…. Have you bought new jeans recently?

Is it hard for you to let go of the old jeans you once loved?

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