Ode to the Necktie

They used to be the standard of business dress: the knotted necktie around your neck on to pf your dress shirt and framed by a suit jacket or sport coat.

Yes, the necktie.

I’m in the midst of cleaning out my home of 15 years to make my life more manageable.  And, quite frankly, to lessen my hold on “things” and “stuff.” I was going through my clothes closets and ran across my stash of neckties.

While I only wear neckties to weddings and formal or the occasional business event, I probably still need to keep some.

But which one(s)?

And I hadn’t counted on the memories attached to each one. And there are dozens of ties. As well as a multitude of memories.

I can look at a specific tie and recall things ranging from who gave it to me or where I bought it and an occasion where I wore it.

While the tie-givers ranged from wives to girlfriends to children, a few (most of them, actually) were from one source.

Ms. C had a real talent for choosing ties for me. Whether it was looking for a subtle color of stripe to go with a shirt she’d picked out for me, or considering how it fit my complexion and jacket.

That girl had a real eye for style. They were brown, as I recall.

While I need to weed out clothes I no longer wear, I might linger over these ties a bit and savor some memories. When you get to this stage you might also consider lingering. Then let go but keep the memory.

Thanks, Cath.

Relentless

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