June 13th, 2022

What on earth has happened to me?  There was a time, not so long ago, when I looked really nice every single day.  I wore pretty clothes.  I put on make up every single day.  I took great pains to make sure that my shoes complimented my outfit.  I put actual thought into my jewelry selection each morning. I had an actual hair-do.  sigh.

Now I slap on whatever is comfortable with little to no jewelry at all. I rarely wear any make up  and when I do it's Very Basic. My shoes are sensible and my hair is more of a don't than a do.  I mean really, look at this picture.  I'm 68 years old and I'm wearing my hair in pigtails!  Who does that?  Apparently I do.

Worse?  I was out in public like this and what's more, I didn't give a rats patootie either.  Which is a big change for me. I used to care. I used to care a lot.  Particularly if I was going to be somewhere in the world.  I was very cognizant of seeing and being seen and the implications therein.  Now, I don't seem to care.

Other people care. I see them every day.  It 's nice that they care.   Perhaps because we live in a tourist destination, I see a lot of folks looking super nice.  They, clearly, dressed up in their new vacation clothes!  I love that they made the effort.  It always makes me feel a little shabby by comparison, but not enough for me to do anything about it.

Here's another example:

Not so bad.  Is that what you are thinking?  Hah!  Yes, there I am wearing a cute little summer dress.  Sometimes when it's really hot and humid out a dress is cooler, somehow, than shorts and a top.  It's a loose flowy dress and yes, I am wearing a little sweater with it because no matter how hot and humid it is outside, the air conditioning inside makes me cold. So there.  

The point being, yes I'm wearing a cute little dress, what's wrong with that?  Here's what's gone awry.  Check out the feets:

Big old clompy, heavy black sneakers!  What on earth?  The old Sam would never have been caught dead wearing chunky old tennis shoes with a cute dress. I would be wearing strappy little sandals in a colour that complimented the outfit.  Or at worst, adorable little flat shoes.  But nope, I wore these.  Didn't give it a second thought either.  I knew I would be walking and quite honestly, if I don't wear proper shoes for walking, my feet hurt.

If I was just say, doing the grocery shopping or getting things done around the house, then it wouldn't matter. I could wear the coordinating and fashionable sandals. (if I had some) But if I am doing some real walking, nope.  I am wearing good, comfortable, arch supporting shoes.  Which are almost never cute, damn it.

Comfort trumps style anymore.  Which I think means that I am, once again, officially old now.  These little reminders of my age keep popping up.  It would have been unfathomable to me a few years ago to give so little thought to how I look.  And yet, just a few short years later, here we are.  Comfort is Queen in my life now.  And you know what?  I am OK with that.

I fallen completely off the style wagon. However, I am managing to still be clean, my clothes are ironed and appropriate (mostly) to the occasion.  I have not lapsed into black socks with sandals or a striped shirt with flowered shorts of wildly different colours.  At least not yet.  

For better or for worse, we all change  throughout our lives.  This particular change for me means I have relaxed a bit.  Maybe a bit too much!  But it is what it is, and I am who I am.  And apparently, who I am now, is someone for whom comfort is key.  I am okay with that.