Even as a child I used to look forward to wearing clothes that some of my older cousins had outgrown. Just by virtue of not being mine, those clothes caught my fancy and had a special place in my wardrobe. It didn't matter how old or worn out they were,  those salwars and skirts seemed more stylish and trendier than the ones I possessed.  As I grew up, the fondness for hand-me-downs only blossomed instead of withering away. Two years of hostel life in the company of like minded folks saw us indulge in clothes swapping. It didn't matter who got that new garment stitched, there was an unwritten understanding that it would do its rounds amongst the members of our gang until the novelty wore out. Once hostel life ended, I graduated to spying my parents wardrobe flicking amma's pure silk saris and appa's FabIndia kurtas. When I moved to Boston, and pursued higher education, we were pretty much on student budget. So craigslist and yard sales proved to be thriftier avenues for shopping for household items. The fun part about buying things second hand is that it expands your shopping horizon. For instance, we bought our Ikea entertainment set long before the Swedish chain opened its shop in MA. Later when Atul came into the picture, we were more than willing to accept some of the hand-me-downs our friends passed along. Likewise, as Atul outgrows his clothes and toys, we sort and pack them age-wise so that we can put them to good use at a later date.

So my friends, have you always used brand new stuff or do you have a preference for hand-me-downs like I do? Hand-me-downs give me the same thrill that comes from eating a meal cooked by someone else; the meal seems more wholesome and tastier!

During one of my routine conversations with my sis-in-law, the discussion centered around formal wears and gravitated towards pencil skirts. It caught me by surprise when I unintentionally mentioned to her that I don't find pencil skirts as charming any more.

Growing up, I always envisioned myself as an ambitious and career-oriented person. One that will be making critical decisions, motivating folks, driving the strategic direction of the company I belonged to, so on and so forth. And who was my inspiration? Oddly, the pencil skirt clad woman on the back cover of the business weekly that appa used to bring home. She looked brainy, smart and career-driven in that outfit. She symbolized all that I aspired for. She sowed the seeds for my career goals.

And then I grew up and realized that I am not that ambitious after all. I wanted a job that will be intensive enough to stimulate me intellectually, but not so intensive that it will leave other aspects of my life disoriented. I realized that I can make business decisions, albeit in small ways, in the comfort of jeans and t-shirt. That I would rather wear free-flowing-flared skirts than the figure-fitting pencil skirts. That I value comfort more than appearance.