The Uniform

My friend Annabelle the fancy fashion designer says my uniform is fine. She helped me weed out the interlopers in my closet yesterday, the once-upon-a-time winner outfits that just weren’t anymore – not for this me, in this body, with this life. And clearing away that stuff, I saw that I actually am much better off than I thought I was, fashion-wise. Just like it says in the books, clearing what no longer served made the stuff I like pop out like magic. I’m excited to get dressed today.

96.7% of the time these days I’m wearing black leggings and either a black tank top, a black long-sleeved t-shirt, or a black sweater depending on the weather. Maybe a black scarf if it’s really cold. Footwear is going to be flip-flops, clogs, or sneakers. That’s the uniform.

The uniform is easy to put together, it’s comfy, and it works for the activities of my daily life – dropping Ax off, picking Ax up, taking Ax to play dates and activities, erranding, working out with other moms, and working at home.

I really like a uniform. When I was working in an office I had a uniform too, but it was maybe a little less obvious: Suit, shell, pantyhose, pumps. I feel good in my current uniform and I don’t need to think about it too much.

Every once in a while something will shrink mysteriously, or wear out, and I’ll have to replace it and a lot of the time I can’t get the same exact thing in the same exact style, which is vexing. All black tank tops are not created equal and I am picky.

Every rarely I’ll have a something to attend where I feel like I need to, maybe even want to, get a little more lady’d out, a wedding, an evening with other adults. For that, I have a few flowy black dresses, some short, some long, and sandals or boots.

I’m set, it turns out. I have enough. I have plenty. I am enough, I am plenty. Annabelle did let me keep my gold lame leather jacket that doesn’t quite fit. I think I’ll wear it with my black leggings and clogs today and feel amazing.