i wonder
lizsunshine.substack.com
Each day I wake up, I roll toward the sun, untwisting my cotton night dress before slowly lifting heavy eyelids and gazing at my phone. Notifications tell me the world has been awake while I’ve been sleeping. Notifications that are managed by independent thumbs operating on cruise control. Each day I wake up, I make my way downstairs. The cotton that kept me cool in sleep now softly skims my body like a slow breeze lifting a feather from rest. A comfort that stays only momentarily while I boil water for tea. A comfort that only stays momentarily before I urge myself to get dressed. Each day I wake up, my children are dressed before I am. An effortless task that sees clothes in any combination slip over unbrushed hair. Unconcerned with how they look, only how they feel. Unconcerned with how they look, only who they will see and what fun the day has in store. Each day I wake up, I draw a blank as to my agenda and lean back into the willingness of my thumbs to pull details from digital air. The task directs me to my wardrobe and suggests which clothes I should pull from hangers. A silent conversation intended for strangers - an exchange that happens regardless of consent. An exchange I lean into as I look myself - reading the clothes of the people around me. Each day I wake up, I wonder how many women seek morning outfit inspiration, spending time with screens dreaming up new identities to carry them through their day. Self-confidence depleted, as she looks to others more than herself. Self-confidence depleted, as she finds millions of clothes online better than the ones in her wardrobe. Each day I wonder.
*This post is part of a larger body of work that explores Our Relationship With Clothes. Australia is the largest consumer of textiles in the world; we ask questions in the hope of encouraging self-reflection and change.
love your writing in this one 💓
One of the great wonderful things about art or writing is what we take from it , what we discover. In someways the artist/author gives their work to the world and it can then take on a different life in the hearts and minds of those that engage. A line like “I wonder “ can be immensely uplifting or it can be full of doubt. I used to get mad at artists /authors saying “it is what it is “ or something of that ilk when describing their work. But now i realize they were referring to what I bring to it.
So it was 4am and I wake up -I look at my phone for the time and like many i stay on my phone but I don’t go to a clothes shop site I go to ORWC.
Time and time again I run to the Jean luc Goddard quote “a good story has a beginning , middle and end ,just not necessarily in that order “
I loved how this post made me see and imagine a space a time a feeling and I loved the courage of unravelling .
Wonder is emotional, it can be draining. It can be looking up into a starry sky and feeling lost or it can be wondrous that you are part of something so vast with no boundaries.
Who are we the story and where?
I wonder.