The Wrong Jacket

Tony Rice was joking around at the Telluride festival. He said he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror backstage and realized that if he were to become homeless tonight, as he put it, "he wouldn't have to go home and change" in order to look the part. Then he said something that really resonated with me. "Sometimes in life you just grab the wrong jacket."

All fashion faux pas aside, (and sidestepping any obvious political comments), I do think there are times when we go into a situation ill-prepared. We gird ourselves for battle when it's negotiation that is needed. Or we are prepared for reconciliation and what we face is a full out offensive. We go in wearing the wrong jacket, so to speak.

I'm a casual dresser but I am pretty careful about what I wear, to the point where I often take two or three different options. (Raincoat, fleece, and parka are always in my car.) I guess we have to be the same way in life. Always have options so you can step back, regroup, and don the correct armor for your current battle. So thanks Tony Rice for reminding me that being prepared often means dressing the part, playing attention to detail, and always, always, have a backup plan.

 #FullMentalJacket

This place

This place,
this house of my grandparents,
has memories that are not mine.
And yet, I am somehow
embedded in the wallpaper.
I linger on the steps,
my hands forever spread
across the railing.
I dwell in the cupboards
and live within the creases
of my grandfather’s chair.
I smell of peppermint
And King Edward cigars.

My voice mingles with others
gathered around the tables,
pushed together to fit more in.
My name is carved into the oyster shells
piled carelessly at the end of the path.
I stain the hammock
that stretched
beneath the mulberry tree.
I am part of this house,
this place of memories
that are forever mine.