Wow, it has already been 100 days. That is so crazy.
I started this 100-Day Merino Wool Shirt Challenge on April 08, 2021.
My goals were to:
Break out of the cultural mindset of "more is better" by realizing how enough is better instead. (What is enough varies for everyone).
Find out if I should fill my wardrobe with just merino wool products.
Find the difference and benefits between quality and quantity.
Get adjusted to doing "crazy" challenges that stretch my mindset and cause me to learn from new experiences that others normally wouldn't do.
Learn to focus less on "trendy" fashion and focus more on what actually matters in my life.
And wear this merino wool shirt for 100 days straight and take a photo of myself wearing it each day.
I have met these goals and I am continuing to grow and learn from them. I have learned that Merino Wool is an amazing fabric. I have already started renovating my closet and changing over to Merino Wool.
Somethings that I enjoyed about the challenge:
I already knew what half of my outfit would consist of for the day when I woke up.
I thought less about what people thought about my outfit.
I saved money not buying clothes during store "sales." (I enjoyed buying and having new clothes. The new shirt scent smells amazing to me.)
I was always wearing a nice quality blue shirt. Blue is my favorite color.
The shirt dried very quickly.
Somethings that I did not like about the challenge:
I got a heavier shirt, and I probably should have gotten the 130 instead of the 210 fabric.
I started this shirt challenge in Hobe Sound, Florida. I have made fond memories in the past 100 days. I was more intentional with taking pictures with friends and capturing moments I want to remember.
Things that made the challenge more interesting:
I wore this shirt from about April to the first week of June as I worked at Treasure Coast Classical Academy as a Before & After Care Staff member. I would play soccer, football, and other activities with the kids in this shirt. On the last day of the program, we had a water gun fight for the kids and I got soaking wet. My shirt dried quickly after! Not so much my shoes and pants...
I went to Gatlinburg, Tennessee for the annual Inter-Church Holiness Convention.
Went out with family and friends to nice restaurants.
I went on a three day trip with some friends to Citrus Springs, Florida and we visited the Rainbow Springs.
I went to Busch Gardens on Day 50 of the challenge because I was doing a family day with my siblings before I moved to Oklahoma. It was a long, hot, and extremely fun day (I took 19,585 steps according to my Fitbit watch!).
I went to Christian services every Sunday morning, night, and Wednesday night.
I preached a few times wearing this shirt.
I moved from Hobe Sound, Florida to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and took a detour to Galax, Virginia to spend time with friends on the way up.
What was most interesting and totally out of the blue was what happened on the last week of the challenge. I was asked on Tuesday July 06 to preach for the youth at Kansas State Holiness Association family camp, and it started on Monday July 12th. So, I finished my challenge at a family camp.
For those who are wondering... I washed my shirt about 3-5 times. Throughout the challenge I would ask my sisters, Belle & Esther (They are the girls I took selfies with on FaceTime in the photo album), to smell my shirt and they said that it didn't smell bad. I was surprised at how the shirt did not carry odors. It was an awesome challenge. I plan to get another merino wool dress shirt. I have already gotten some pants, socks, and crew neck shirts made of merino wool. I am liking my new wardrobe!
What now?
Well, I want to continue to live a life that focuses on what matters. Loving God, and loving people are the two things that matter in my life (Mark 12:28-30).
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I want continue to be intentional and careful. I don't want to fall for the subtle, yet permeating influence of materialism here in the United States of America.
"The best things in life aren’t things."- Joshua Becker