Thursday was one of those days where I felt like I just couldn’t get warm. It was pretty cold outside, but not unusually cold by any means, but I just felt like I needed a nice warm shower and a cozy sweater.
I took a break from work late in the morning and did just that. I went up to my shelf to pull down one of my favorite old cozy sweaters. A classic. A lovely green argyle zip-up sweater with a collar. I’ve been wearing it well over a decade, and have always loved it. It comes from an era when I was wearing a lot of argyle. I’ve pretty much moved on from that look, but not this sweater. Here’s me wearing it way back then, before kids, looking SO much younger.
I took the sweater down from the shelf, my heart sank when I discovered that, after all these years of being a workhorse in my wardrobe, the sweater had sprung a rather notable hole.
This bummed me out because first of all, I was all ready for the particular cozy of THAT sweater. And also because that sweater and I have seen many adventures together. Beyond being cool and cozy, one of the things I’ve always loved about that sweater is that it was one of the first Christmas presents I got from Erin.
I got this from her way back when we were dating. From the moment I met Erin, I always loved her sense of style and she’s always got me thinking of my own look in different ways. When I got this sweater, I still remember how much I loved that she picked it out for me, and how cool I thought it was.
Over time, it was one of those things that played many roles for me. I’d wear it with a shirt and tie underneath to dress it up, and I’d wear it with just a T-shirt underneath to dress it down. In recent years it’s definitely become a casual piece, all streteched out and worn, but I love how it feels physically and emotionally.
As I’m writing this, I’m still asking myself, “Hmmmm…I wonder if I can do something about that hole?” Admittedly, I do get attached to things and where it comes to clothes, I also have that sometimes typical guy thing of wanting to wear something until it’s worn to nothing at all. I remember Seinfeld making the joke that men will wear underwear until it reaches a point where it no longer retains the properties of a solid.
There’s a line in the movie, The Untouchables, where Al Capone says, “Sometimes we laugh because it’s funny and we laugh because it’s true.” Certainly applies here.
Well, the great masters teach us to never become attached to the material. Least of all, a sweater, I would suppose. After 12 or 13 years, it’s fair to say it’s had a good run. I’ll always have that memory of the gift from my wonderful wife before she was my wife. And the most important part is that I get to share yet another Christmas with her and get that warm cozy feeling all over again.
