The cycle of our Canadian seasons provide natural benchmarks in our own evolution. Spring has long been connected with rebirth, rejuvenation and renewal. With the end of another dark, wet winter, it makes sense to air out our space and increase our own personal energy by once again examining our possessions.

If you are short on closet space to begin with, you may be putting bulky sweaters, hats and gloves into storage bins and digging our wrinkled sundresses and tank tops. Since purging is not usually at the top of our list of things to do, schedule a time to go through your closets and drawers. Treat this task like you would going to the gym or getting your hair cut: book a time to get it done. Keep in mind the following:

• Try everything on. If it doesn’t fit, throw it in the donation box. Women are notorious for having several sizes of clothes, but in reality, if your size increases or decreases, chances are you will buy something current.
• Ditto if you haven’t worn something in a year.
• If it is out of style, pass it on to someone who might re-vamp it or turn it into a funky tote bag.
• Torn towels and stained linens are often welcome at the SPCA or a vet clinic. They make great cage liners.

Once I came to terms with the fact that black wasn’t my colour, I phoned my sister in Ontario to see if she wanted my royal blue and black jersey. She used to borrow it all the time and sure enough, she begged me not to give it away. Instead, it went straight into my suitcase for the next time I went home for a visit.

While I don’t advise getting rid of anything that isn’t yours, your might try the following with your partner. Go through their closet (assuming you know what they wear most frequently and look good in) and select several items that aren’t being worn, are threadbare or distorted from their original shape. Lay them on the bed and then ask them to have a look. I did this with my partner and even though I reassured him that he could keep everything if he chose, there wasn’t one thing that went back in the closet.

Essentially, people wear 20% of their clothes 80% of the time. Identify your favourites and let the rest go.