I wear a hat. Winter, summer, fall, spring, I wear a hat.
You can see it in my profile picture, my avatar, and in my Facebook profile. My
wife can find me in the store or the mall, because I wear it. My grandkids
grin, because I wear it. My kids call me Indiana Jones, because I wear it. My
granddaughter likes it when I play peek-a-boo behind it. And of course she
looks absolutely adorable in it when she swipes it from my head and puts it on
hers, usually when I’m driving and she’s sitting behind me.
Before I hit my forties I never saw myself as a hat person.
My Dad first suggested I start wearing one after he noticed he was getting sick
less often once he formed the habit, particularly in the winter. He kept on
suggesting it and, as my hair got thinner, the more sense it made.
Now I’m a form follows function kind of guy so when I
started looking for “the hat” it had
to be the right one. It had to keep the sun out of my eyes, the rain and snow off
my glasses and off my neck, and keep my head warm, all while looking “right” on
me. The classic baseball cap served no useful purpose other than to make a
fashion statement – don’t waste my time. My search began, lasted for several
years, and ended at The Nature Company store in downtown Toronto that we
visited on our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. There it was, “the hat”, an almost khaki colored
fedora, felt, broad brim, narrow leather band, crushable and packable, a very functional
and serviceable hat. It was perfect, and I’ve worn it every cold day for the
last seventeen plus years.
A few brief years later “the
hat” became two hats as I realized being outdoors during the warmer months without
a hat was creating serious sunburn issues up where I actually used to have
hair. The fedora was way too hot for summer wear, so the search began again,
for the next perfect hat. It ended in a little shop in Tubac, Arizona. There it
was, perched on the rack, a Bush Hat by Barmah Hats of Australia. Called a “Foldaway
Cooler”, it has a broad leather brim, flat leather top, a crushable mesh crown
and a braided leather band. It has become my second perfect hat and I wear it
every warm weather day for work, play and gardening, any outdoor activity including
just going to and from.
I was wearing “the
hat” on Fathers’ Day when my wife and I plus S and L went for a cruise on
the Grand Lady riverboat, the Sunday
Picnic Cruise (bring your own food; buy beverages of your choice on board). It
was a really great afternoon cruising the Grand River and seeing a nesting pair
of Bald Eagles and several herons gliding low over the water. It was a beautiful
day and a great way to spend a couple of hours on a Sunday afternoon for just
fifteen dollars per adult ticket (I promised I’d put in a good word). But I
digress.
While on the cruise we had the pleasure of listening to one
of my favorite jazz musicians and a local celebrity, Tom Hagen, perform. We’ve heard and
seen him perform at Jazz at the Zoo the last few years and have developed a
real appreciation for his music. I was planning to go introduce myself at some
point during the cruise and tell him how much we enjoyed his music, but to my
surprise, during the break he came over to our table and asked if he knew me
from somewhere. I was briefly flustered and thought for a second and then
volunteered that perhaps it was at the concerts at the Zoo. He agreed and we
thought maybe it was “the hat”. S
and L, and Deb also agreed and suggested that “the hat” was probably becoming my trademark. At any rate, we had a
nice chat and closed out the conversation with expectations of seeing each
other at the Zoo last night where he was again playing. Then he got back to
business and we said a brief goodbye at cruise’s end.
Last night we attended another great Tom Hagen ensemble
performance at the Zoo. Immediately after the show I headed toward the stage.
He beamed as I stepped up to shake his hand and thank him for another wonderful
evening. It was “the hat”. Tom said
he saw me out there in the crowd of about a thousand or so, and commented that
there were quite a few hats but none like mine. It was definitely “the hat”, my trademark or so it seems.
I actually like being identified by “the hat”. It’s a reminder of who I am, practical and down to
earth, a bit of a loner, and a little outdoorsy in the camping sense. At the
same time it helps get me out of my shell and get a little playful and
adventurous. And I guess it serves as a good conversation starter with the
occasional local celebrity!
So what’s the point of this post, nothing really. It just
seems to me that if you’re going to wear a hat you ought not to jam a baseball
cap on your head backwards and call it good. What’s the point of that? Fashion,
affiliation, or being “cool” or “in” I suppose. And maybe that makes sense;
maybe it’s the perfect choice for some folks. On the other hand, maybe getting
a little older helps me make sense of things and question things that don’t
make sense, at least to me.
Function over fashion, and a little common sense thrown in;
it works for me. Now excuse me while I go look for my plaid Bermuda shorts,
black socks, and dress shoes … it’s time for a walk.
-Pops
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