A girl I knew bought a sweater a couple of years ago. She was obsessed with it, she had this form of emotional attachment to it. She would wear it as much as she possibly could, for days on end, and wouldn’t wash it until she absolutely had to. She would do everything with this sweater, it was her ‘go to’ and she didn’t think she would ever find another one with the same meaning. One which she would become so attached to. If this sweater was a person, she would’ve told it every inner most thought she had, and the sweater would keep her secrets like no one else ever could.
“I love this sweater so much, I can’t imagine my life without it.”
“Thank god I saw this sweater while shopping, it’s my favourite.”
“I wouldn’t replace this sweater for any other, it’s perfect for me.”
Then, a couple months ago, she found a new sweater. In her eyes, this new sweater was prettier and could hold more secrets. I don’t think it was the case though, because, yes, this sweater held more secrets within it, but it was only a matter of time before those secrets spilled out to other the other sweaters worn by the people surrounding her. She didn’t know about this fact, though. So she kept wearing it, and left the old sweater at the back of her closet. She even started talking about the sweater like it was an old rag.
“I’ve had that sweater for years, it’s just plain boring now.”
“That sweater isn’t as pretty as it used to be, I don’t want to wear it anymore.”
“How did I ever think that sweater was as good as I made it seem, it was just a sweater.”
In two months, this girl is graduating. Her old sweater will stay in her closet, at home, with the new one, because she’s going to find a new one, wherever it is she goes. The most recent sweater will end up feeling the way the old sweater does, it just doesn’t know it yet. Then, both sweater will have things to share, while the girl I knew talks about both of them like they were ugly Christmas sweaters grandmas knit for their grandchildren.
“This sweater is so ugly, I don’t even know why I bought it.”
“Why didn’t anyone tell me how disgusting I look wearing this sweater.”
“Who would want such a thing, it’s so worn out now too.”
Then she’ll start talking bad about the old sweaters to the new sweater, just like she did last time. And this will go on and on, over and over again, maybe for the rest of time. She’ll always find, what seems to her like ‘better’. She’ll ignore the fact that she might be ruining the old sweaters’ life by talking about them the way she does, and one day, forget they ever existed. That is, until she realises what she’s done, which might never happen, because that’s how she is. She’ll talk, and lie, and ignore, and laugh the old sweater out of her life. But what if one day, there are no more sweater to be laughed at and away? What is there are no more sweater to tell her thoughts and secrets to? What if one day, she runs out of sweaters to buy? What will happen next?
I think at this point, we all know that this isn’t about sweaters, right? It’s about a person. And sometimes I wish she would see what she’s doing, and that I’m the start, but I have no idea who the end will be. Maybe it’ll be me again, who knows…