Thoughts on an Average Day

I was getting ready for work the other day, rolling up the sleeves of my dress shirt, when it occurred to me that I had done this countless times over the years, always the same, and always exactly the same way my mother had done it when I was a child and she was dressing me for school.

I suppose that at a very young age, I had already determined (for my lifetime forward) that I didn’t really care for long sleeves. I honestly don’t remember why! Maybe they didn’t fit particularly well, they were likely hand-me-downs from my older brother. Maybe I just didn’t care for the restricted feeling of buttoned cuffs. Who knows?

Regardless, for the past fifty years or so, I’ve rarely worn a long-sleeved shirt without rolling up the cuffs, just right, of course, just like my mama did it. The cuff goes back once, then folded in half, then rolled up two more times. Perfect.

The result is a ¾ length that maintains the formality of a long-sleeved dress shirt, yet allows the practicality of a short-sleeved shirt. A good mix between formal and casual and definitely more comfortable.

But most of all, it is a reminder of my mother, and the love and care she put into those simple chores, rituals from a childhood long past. Memories that fade, but never go away.