Lateral Thought...

This is a serious study that I have done on the migration of lost clothing. It started when, after a period of days, I witnessed a pair of jeans move a block down a walking path apparently of its own accord. When the jeans were first spotted, it was "nesting" (folded) in a snow bank. It was then seen the following day perched in a tree looking timid and trying not to stand out in its unfamiliar surroundings. I later saw it farther down the path huddling at the edge of the brush looking a bit more comfortable with where it was and perhaps trying to create a makeshift home for itself.

The question of why clothing suddenly disappears from ones house, or how one ends up with extra clothing has always been a mystery to humankind. My theory suggests that perhaps these clothes are trying to get back to their natural roots, or find a better home for themselves.

It is known that nature is a force that is strong in all living things. It gives plants the strength to push up through solid concrete to reach the sun. It gives salmon the staying power and drive to make a trip thousands of miles against the current and through dangerous waters to lay/fertilize eggs then die. It gives birds the instinct and direction needed to navigate their way over half the globe to find the same nesting areas every year. With this said, it is then reasonable to say that perhaps it also has the power to awaken in what is thought to be a lifeless bit of clothing the general memory of once being a part of the natural cycle. Most clothing still has at least some natural fibers in it. Some more than others, which accounts for why certain items seem to be more frequently found trying to re-integrate itself then others would be.

Some articles of clothing can be seen trying to nest as the jeans were, but others can be found trying to migrate. This is where you find strange clothing in your house, or clothes, which you knew you had are suddenly missing. It is known that birds migrate with the warm weather, and that sea turtles travel to their original birthing place, as do certain fish. The reason why clothes would chose to move from one house to another is unknown for certain, but there are a few suggestions that are plausible.

The first being that they are looking for a place that they will be more useful, or perhaps better taken care of. There have been several instances where a person has been looking desperately for something to wear to a function or date, then while searching through closets, they find say, a skirt that they never knew they had but would be perfect for the occasion.

Another reason may be that they are looking for their original "spawning" grounds, or a place to breed, as the need to reproduce is a natural urge found in most living things. There can be some danger in this though as cross breeding or a bad match-up could result in say tube socks, or a sweater that no person in their right mind would wear willingly but kindly old relatives around the world find and send out with the thought that you would look just adorable in it.

With the migration or reintegration of clothing into the cycle of nature, also come certain perils that are familiar to all creatures that live in the wild. The main ones being predators and human interference. There have been several instances where socks or shoes have been found torn into small pieces by dogs, their natural predators. There have also been reports of clothing being hung from power lines or being destroyed by youth that do not realize that they are disturbing that particular shirt's only chance to be part of nature again or to find a proper mating area.

More research is needed on this project, but I feel that it is a worthwhile subject to study. This discovery now means that we must review our treatment of clothes. There is a need for more humane washing methods. Clothes should not be bought and sold with out a thought of how the new owner will treat it. The term "wear and tear" should not be used as lightly as it has in past, as it is now referring to a life with needs of its own. And all labels should be banned, as they are a cruel form of tagging. Humans must learn to care for the things they create, or they might find themselves with out a damn thing to wear.