by

Margret Saunders

When I was ten years old, my family and I lived in a small house that had only two rooms. One room was the living/dining room–kitchen–master bedroom. The other room was the children’s bedroom; neither room had any closets. It seems strange that a house should be built without any closets. A person needs a closet. In the house I now live in, my closet is not only a place to store my clothes, but it is also a place where items that have particular meaning for me are kept, and it is a place that even expresses my personality.

My closet was specifically designed to house my clothes in just the way I like them kept. I built it myself, using Closet Maid shelving as the basic framework. I like this type of shelving as it is made of vinyl-coated wire and allows good air circulation which helps to keep clothes from smelling musty. The first and smallest section of my closet is where I hang my few dresses; I really do not like dresses. The next section is a stack of one-foot-long shelves that start ten inches from the floor and reach five shelves high. This is where my folded jeans, slacks, and pull-overs are kept. Beside these shelves is a nine-drawer dresser that holds most of my other clothes.

On top of the dresser is a three-drawer unit that holds many objects I have accumulated over the years. The top drawer of this unit has in it, among other things, a small wooden box, made in India, that my mom gave me for Christmas when I was in high school. Within this box is a knife-sharpened nub of a pencil, with most of the eraser still intact, that was in my father’s pocket when he died; the tear-drop earrings I wore to the Civil Air Patrol military ball when I was fifteen; a tiny ring box, tied with faded ribbon that holds my children’s first baby teeth; and a gold locket that my husband gave me when we were dating.

My closet reflects much of what can be known about me. The need for order in my life shows in the fact that in my closet all the hangers are turned the same way, and all the folded items are ever so neatly stacked on top of each other. The particular selection of clothing indicates that I prefer plaid over any other fabric design. The Bugs Bunny and Marvin the Martian stuffed toys on the dresser evidence my sense of humor. The storage boxes in the left corner show I am a thrifty person, for they contain the gifts purchased throughout the year to be used at Christmas.

I have always enjoyed my closet. Its design has changed over the years, according to the changes in my storage needs. Sometimes I make a change because I have found something at a yard sale or flea market that would make my closet more useful. My closet continues to serve me well as a place to story my clothes, to keep my valued possessions, and to express myself.