A year of extremes

Today, I want to talk about a coat that I almost didn't buy...

Houndstooth coat (Forever 21): Plato's Closet $20 

I loved this coat from the moment I saw it. I loved it even more after I tried it on... the cut, the collar, the ribbon belt. But, I hesitated to buy it. Why? Well, I wasn't sure about the color. In recent years, I've been drawn to a more earthy palette of green, gold, brown, and orange, so I felt a little out of my element in the stark black and white houndstooth.

But, then I realized, this coat represents my entire year, a year of extremes... black and white.

A long cold winter and family crisis occupied the first half of my year. This was my "black" period, my absence of color. I was tired and drained. Things felt hopeless.

By June, things started to look brighter. After two years of "casual" house-hunting, my husband and I decided to put our house of 15 years on the market. By Labor Day, we had an offer. A week later, we found a house that we both loved. So begins the "white" period, the presence of all colors. White reflects light. I suddenly felt full of light. New-found energy and excitement exuded from my every pore.

We've been in our new house for about 2 months. It hasn't come without challenges. The finished basement flooded 3 days after we moved in, it took over a month to get our appliances installed, and we had to replace the hot water tank and install a water softener. Yet, I still feel happy and full of light, no regrets. This was the change our family needed.

Sometimes, change is all you need. And, sometimes, it takes feeling a little "out of your element" to spark that change.

That's when I realized... I put way too much thought into the purchase of a $20 coat. But, it was that same moment that I also decided... the coat was coming home with me. It will forever remind me of 2014, my crazy year of extremes.