Nation of Language – Stumbling Still

There was a frost last night, first one of the season. It was 75 degrees on Saturday. This is why we just have coats of various weights hanging out in the hallway year round.

Last year I took to wearing a coat my son had outgrown. You know how teenagers would rather freeze than be caught in school with a coat? I hated that it hardly got any use, and I didn’t have a good in-between coat, so now it’s mine. I put it on this morning and instinctively shoved my hands in the pockets. One pocket had a bunch of napkins from some fast food place, the other pocket had an Aldi quarter. I always enjoy that little moment of acknowledgement. Sometimes it’s a revelation; that’s where my good chapstick went! Most often it’s just a nod and a smile. It’s me, the napkins and Aldi quarter person, gearing up for the day. It would be nice to pretend that the me of spring was thinking ahead for the me of fall, but really it is probably just the reverse of the weather situation we had this week and I hadn’t expected it to be the last time I wore the coat for the season.

Were I the sort of on the ball person who routinely washed the coats and stored them away once it was likely they wouldn’t be worn, I’d have those little aha moments before they went into the laundry. But I like it better this way. I’ll hate putting those coats on soon enough. Might as well rub my fingers over that Aldi quarter and take a second to reminisce.