Me? Trendy?

Me and Trendy, especially related to clothes, is a real oxymoron. Me and comfortable clothes, is more accurate, even if everyone else thinks them daggy! Comfortable, not trendy, is my scene.

Real Australian men are supposed to wear Jumpers, not Cardigans. But me, I have always been a cardigan type person. Being a bit of a cold fish, I found Cardigans more accessible as you can still wear them, undone, and be cool, yet not cold, like I would if I had a jumper on and had taken it off. As Zippers came more and more into fashion, I much preferred them over buttons.

Since our return from O/S I have acquired a liking for those el-cheepo Windcheaters made of some warm but light material, which are also relatively quite cheap too.

My father on the other hand was a jumper man nearly all of his grown years. Right up to a couple of months before his passing. Before then I had visited him in the Hospital one day and he was sitting dressed in a chair by his bed and although reasonably warm, he was complaining of being cold. At that time I had on a light, tight warm jumper, which I knew he would never be able to get his arms into. Then I remembered that I had one of these windcheaters in the car, so I went and got that and put it on him, and later left it with him. A couple of weeks later I enquired of my youngest sister where the windcheater was. When she worked out that I was asking about what she called a cardigan with a zip, she told me that he loved it because it was easier for him to get on and off.

With that thought in mind and his 86^th Birthday, we went out and bought him a new one of his own and at the same time bought him a sleeveless one too. I have never really been a fan of sleeveless jumpers and such; but as I am a real cold fish, I thought I would buy one of these zippered windcheaters for myself and wear it under the normal one when it was really cold and over a jumper, when it was only so so. Over the course of 3 days, both of my daughters independently remarked on how trendy I looked in my new vest.

This prompted the following thoughts. Firstly that there is hope for every one at some stage or another. Even though it has taken some 55 years, even daggy old me, has finely been called trendy.

Secondly I find it incredible that something as simple as one piece of clothing can change people’s opinions so easily.

Thirdly at how cheaply this change can be. In my case, these particular items of clothes were marked down to $7.95 or two for $12.

This got me to further thinking. Firstly, as to how easily someone else’s words can effect your/our mental well-bearing. And likewise how ours can affect theirs!

Secondly, at how often, we can effect a person’s well being, with some thing very simple and basic to everyday life.

And thirdly, at how often this can also be so inexpensive for us to do.

Is there some simple, easy inexpensive thing that you can do, to improve the life of others, even if you never get called trendy by doing it?