Looking down, I suddenly realized I had become my father.
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TB The Elder had two modes of "dressing up".
The first - the one I remember most from my childhood - was him in slacks with a button up shirt and cowboy boots. This would have been his Sunday "Going to Church" or other events that were not jeans appropriate (I can count on my two hands the number of times I remember my father wearing a suit to anything, including his children's weddings).
Then, sometime in his mid-50's, my father discovered Birkenstocks.
How he discovered them I have no idea: I suspect 25 year old TB The Elder would have loathed them. But 55-60 year old TB The Elder found them incredibly comfortable.
He wore them everywhere: in the house, out and about - almost everywhere. The only time he specifically did not wear them was when he was working outside or in Winter when he had to go out to the woodshed to transport wood. Otherwise, they were he constant walking companion.
And so - in TB The Elder 2.0 - he would often be found more or less as the picture above on Sundays: button down short sleeved shirt, jeans, and Birkenstocks.
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It is odd, how these moments of becoming like my father strikes me.
I have related before that for many years I felt TB The Elder and I were very different people indeed: different interests, different emotional makeups, different trajectories - really, just sort of randomly thrown together into a family by luck and genetics. It is only over the years of adulthood - and in those, really in my 50's - that I have come to appreciate how much more similar we were than I had every thought.
The fact a random set of clothes reminds me of him no longer comes as a surprise.
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I still have a fair interest in my wardrobe, as it were. Some of that is driven that I am still in a "professional" environment (although I am hardly "professional") and have to dress (to some extent) like I am an adult. And to be fair, I have gotten more into vests and the associated long sleeved shirts (the climate here in New Home 2.0 is much more forgiving in that regard), mostly to accommodate my pocket watch and chain habit. Which, as I am informed by the young people, means I have "Drip" (which I am informed is a good thing).
The vest and watch would, I think, make TB The Elder happy. Although I suspect he would still recommend Birkenstocks.
A question from the nurse at the start of my annual physical: "Do you use birth control?"
ReplyDelete"Yes" I reply.
A look of surprise. I am 67 years-old and married to a woman of a similar age.
The nurse continues "What method do you use?"
"I use two different methods depending on my mood" I respond.
"...and they are?" the nurse prodded.
"I generally rely on my abrasive personality but when I am feeling lazy I wear socks with my sandals."
OK, not the funniest story ever, but it seemed appropriate. At least you will have fewer groupies throwing themselves at you when you wear socks and sandals at the same time.
Oh ERJ, that is the laugh that I needed this morning.
DeleteAnd yes - it does tend to keep "The Groupies" away....
Perhaps I just lead a sheltered life but if you asked me, I would say Birkenstocks are not a thing out here in the Midwest. Crocs are a thing however, which less dressed down than Birkenstocks, if that is possible. I do own a pair of Crocs but I have never worn them away from my home. I have on occasion though worn Tevas away from home which I think are more similar to Birkenstocks but have a strap that goes around your heel too.
ReplyDeleteEd, at one time in Old Home Birkenstocks were as much a sign of a different (read "Hippie") lifestyle as for comfort, so the fact that TB the Elder took up wearing them later in life made it all the more surprising.
DeleteFor whatever reason, I have never gotten into Crocs.
Coming off the hike, there are some other "camp shoes" (e.g., shoes worn after the main day of hiking) I want to look at. Tevas are there, as well as a sandal called "Zero".
How many times was the thought " I'm NOT like my Father!".......and as the years go by......surprise! My footwear of choice for quick errands outside the house are slip-ons TB, sandals, Birkenstocks, Crocs......uh....no. Good to hear vests are a choice for you, here in the winter months a wool vest fits the bill nicely....:)
ReplyDeleteNylon12, funny how all of that seems to catch up with us, right?
DeleteI do like the vests. They make me look fancy.
Casual shoes that use a Velcro closure are the senior patriarch footwear of choice in my circles.
ReplyDeleteAnonJ, maybe it is a rite of passage. I do tend to use my plastic versions more often for short trips to the trash dumpster.
DeleteI think the older one gets, the more one tends to dress more for comfort than for style. I can't say I inherited either of my parents' clothing styles, other than my dad was definitely his own person and had his own brand (as they say nowadays).
ReplyDeleteLeigh, I especially think that as one reaches the end of one's working career or even "retires", it becomes even more prominent - after all, at that point we tend to dress for comfort or practical use. I certainly am much more "leisurely" on the weekends....
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