When Something No Longer Fits

Coming to grips with a new reality

I started my day like any other … I got out of bed, showered, and brushed my teeth. But something wasn’t quite right when I got dressed. I went to put on a pair of pants and ran right into a “face reality” moment.

The length to which I want to believe that I’m not the cause of the situation is dwarfed only by the realization that it doesn’t matter.

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Shrinking waistline

The pants in question happen to be reasonably new, and I’ve worn them not too long ago. They do have a smaller waist size than other pairs I’ve recently worn, but it was still a surprise when I tried to put them on and they no longer fit.

Perhaps they shrunk in the washing / drying process…

Growing waistline

This got me thinking. My weight is no different this month than the past three or four- I just don’t see any growth there. I’m still using the same hole in my belts, and all of my other clothes seem to be doing fine. (I last mentioned my general health and waistline in this article and things are just as good)

Wasted line…

And somewhere in this exchange with myself, I realized it didn’t matter – it didn’t matter if the pants shrunk or my waist expanded. The bottom line was that they no longer fit.

Spending the few minutes it took me to find a different pair of pants to wear, I ran through my options for what to do about the pants situation.

I could:

• Get rid of them (donate)
• Save them for my son or an extended family member.
• Save them for myself (just in case I get thinner)

And that’s when the silliness of the situation got to me – that I might actually use some of my storage space to hang on to a pair of pants that I had no real expectation of fitting into ever again. (really)

Metaphors…

Yes, in this case the pants really are pants, but in another sense they also stand for situations that just don’t “fit” anymore. It doesn’t matter what the cause – what matters is taking an honest evaluation of the situation and moving forward in a positive way.

Here’s hoping my insights about shrinking pants and / or expanding waistlines helps you see fit to look past your own pants and make the best of any situation.