Clothing

OK, confession time here. Like most days these days, I’m sitting here in a pair of sleep pants, an old ratty sweatshirt, and white sports socks. It’s my custom blogging-wear. It’s also the clothes I’ll wear most of the day.

At least three times a day, I do “dress up”. It involves shedding the sleep pants and putting on a pair of blue jeans and taking the dog for a walk. I never envisioned a time where I dressed up for a dog walk. Yes, it’s come to this.

In normal times, I’d never live like this. I’d be out doing this and that, and I’d never want to be this, er, casual. Plus, I’m pretty sure that my wife would not approve.

Growing up, we had three types of clothes.

• school clothes
• play clothes
• church clothes

It was really important to make sure that my brother and I were dressed in the proper ensemble for the event. It wasn’t that we were aspiring fashion models; it was the law of our household.

What was interesting about all this was the rotation of school clothes and play clothes. The rotation took place at the end of the school year when we got new school clothes. The old ones would get the rugged treatment climbing trees, playing baseball and hockey, and everything that we do. Since our school clothes were typically a bit bigger so that we could “grow into them”, they didn’t really fit well until they became play clothes.

As the dog and I were all dressed up and walking this morning (he had his good collar on), we passed the spot where a couple of kids that go to the local Catholic school would normally be waiting for their bus. Obviously, they weren’t there – heck, I hope that they’re enjoying the change of pace and sleeping in, if they want.

It’s funny the things that go through your mind when you’re walking the same path, day after day. Do white shirts, grey pants, plaid skirts, etc. ever go into clothing rotation? I’m guessing not. Who wears white shirts these days other than those required to wear them for school? The last plaid shirt I remember owning got stuffed as a scarecrow for Hallowe’en thing sitting on a lawn chair on the front steps.

So, these clothes won’t get worn out like they would in a regular world. Do they get some of their money back? After all, they were only worn for 2/3 of the school year. Are we on the cusp of a new fashion statement as to play clothes? Chances are, all the kids that would be on the bus routes that we pass every morning are sitting at home in sleep pants. I should have invested in sleep pants before they became a thing.

Jaimie’s response? “Just shut up and keep walking.”