Some brilliant friends of mine were talking about what they put on in the morning. Obviously, shirt and shoes, if you want service. A sweater, if you're chilly. A nylon jacket in case it rains. But what else?
What I wear says a lot about me. If you see me Monday through Friday at Walgreens, you will see that I adhere to the very unfasinating khaki pant/navy button down uniform. I am a policy follower.
If you see me otherwise, you will see me attired in a wide variety of outfits.
I can be sporty in my yoga pants and go fasters. Headphones and a ball cap round out the sporty spice look. I wear that three to four times a week.
I can be as cute as can be in my walking around money shoes and Mata clothes. In fact, when I am a little bit lighter, I have a lot of fun stuff to wear. There is also a fair number of Snoopy shirts, band T's, and souvenir garb in my drawer to make it obvious what makes me happy, where I like to go and who is on my mixed tape.
In high school, I was fond of shopping in the attic. And by attic I mean the space above my second floor. I dug out a ton of my parents old clothes and breathed new life into them. One of my favorites was a maternity shirt my mom wore when she was pregnant with me. It just so happened to have a collar, buttoned up and was white. I wore it to Regis. Nuns loved it!
But there are a few other things that I have started to 'put on' in the morning that are not tucked in a drawer or hanging in my closet. I am making a conscious decision to put on patience, kindness, joy. "Put on?" you ask. "Yes, put on." I know it sounds new agey or Goddish or just plain creepy, but it works, for me.
Putting on patience means that I am not rolling my eyes or exhaling dramatically when someone asks me a question that I think they should know the answer. Putting on patience means smiling as the woman digs in her purse for that penny so she doesn't get nine more. It is reassuring her that she is not a bother, because she isn't. There is nothing more pressing at my job then making sure this customer was taken care of pleasantly by me.
Putting on kindness is very similar to putting on patience. It means thanking my husband and kids for the work they do around the house instead of pointing out what they could have done. It means scratching Harlow behind the ears and letting her big slobbery head rest in my lap instead of being too busy to give her the love. It means creating a pretty green space in our yard that we don't often see but that the neighbor sees regularly.
Putting on joy becomes a better fit as I wear the others. Joy is the accessory that everyone is wanting these days and so many can not seem to find it. Joy makes me look beautiful. It brightens my eyes and shows off my smile. Joy makes me look slimmer, my hair shinier, my teeth whiter. Joy is light weight and oh, so versatile. It does not wrinkle in a suitcase, is stain resistant and like sweatpants on Thanksgiving, remains comfortable the entire day.
No comments:
Post a Comment