The Laguna Edit

I needed to purge my closet to make room for my new life.

If you’ve read my previous essays, you know I recently closed my boutique and traded Arizona for Laguna Beach. Along with my husband, I moved from a 3,200-square-foot house into a 1,200-square-foot beachfront condo.

I also brought far more than I needed.

Since arriving, I’ve been editing my closet one piece at a time. In the spaces between beach walks and exploring this beautiful coastal town, I’ve been writing and listing my clothes on Poshmark.

Could I have stuffed everything into trash bags and driven it to Goodwill?

Of course.

But these pieces have value. They were carefully chosen, worn, loved, and woven into different seasons of my life. For now, my little business is giving them the opportunity to become part of someone else’s story.

Today, I pulled out my leopard duster.

A piece that traveled with me to New York, Carmel, and countless dinners, celebrations, and adventures.

I hesitated.

Not because I still wore it, but because I believed I was letting go of the memories attached to it.

Then something shifted.

It wasn’t the leopard duster I wanted to keep.

It was the story.

The photographs.
The journal entries.
The laughter.
The trips.
The woman I was when I wore it.

I realized those memories weren’t hanging on the hanger.

They were already safely tucked away inside me.

Suddenly, letting go felt lighter.

My rolling rack is still overflowing, but now every item that sells becomes something new.

One Louis Vuitton bag became tickets to New York Fashion Week, where my husband, my son, and I will make memories that will last far longer than any handbag ever could.

I’ve started thinking differently about everything I own.

I used to feel anxious because I owned too much.

Now I feel excited because every sale makes room for another experience.

My son has already told me he wants my travel journals someday.

He has never asked for my Chanel bag.

Or my Valentino sneakers.

He wants the stories.

That realization changed everything.

The clothes served their purpose.

They carried me through different chapters of my life.

Now they’re helping fund the next chapter.

From owning a boutique and building friendships I’ll treasure forever…

…to walking the streets of New York with my husband and son during Fashion Week.

It turns out letting go isn’t about losing something.

Sometimes it’s the very thing that allows you to gain more.

And honestly? I think that’s the best trade I’ve ever made.