Downward spirals are usually pretty easy to spot - they imply a quick and definite plummet, a fall from high. But sometimes plummets are in slow motion and you can easily dismiss the signs. Like when, at 28, you find yourself panting at the top of two flights of stairs (but you were carrying stuff! Those keys are heavy!). Soon, afternoon napping becomes the norm and the 10-minute walk to work is seen as an immense accomplishment.

But I can't ignore the intense feelings of loss, each time a pair of pants passes from the world of the wearable into the dark, hidden corner of my closet where the skinny pants dwell.

The bountiful collection of pants I could wear last year, left, compared to the three pairs of jeans I can still rotate through the week, right.