Never Wear Strappy Green Stilettos on a Drug Bust

I've often said it, but it's not something I am conscious of everyday...I often can recall a day's events, conversations and names -- IF I can remember what I was wearing. Tragic but true -- my memories are attached to a final outcome of a decision making process, that is far less important to the bigger scheme of things.


First -- dresses, slacks, then skirts -- white, cream, pink, then purple...next, blue and two levels deep of blazers, black tops and then mocha chocolate brown --


Standing in front of my closet door -- my foggy mind puzzles: Why must THIS always be so difficult? you would think there would never be the sort of decision that takes so much deliberation, the time that consumes contemplating in my morning's inner-monologue.


At this moment, finalizing my decision of "what to wear" seems much more complex than anything else I'm facing in my day.


Rarely do I think about it the night before. I've learned (and tried) advance selections never fit my mood day of.


Retreating from the shadows cast by the fickle closet light -- I grab my running shoes, head downstairs to the refrigerator --- noting bottled water always finds its way inside the cool temperatured box -- even though I prefer it room temperature. I take one, press start on the treadmill and grab the remote. It is my own little cockpit of entertainment in the mornings and some evenings. On it, I keep the water, remote, hand held weights, a pen and at least one sheet of paper for a last minute list. This is how I start my day. This is how I gather my thoughts. THIS is where I make many, many decisions.


Here I continue to think..."what to wear, what to wear?" Dismissing the thought to begin itemizing the hours of my day, checking the weather...after all -- IT ALL HELPS! Grabbing the pen, I scrawl my first list -- no need to be neat as I'll be rewriting it by priority later.


Next, shower and back to the original task -- THINK! DECIDE? Geez!? While I am certain this is a task and process I am not alone in -- this cycle of what some would call petty decision making, my comfort in satisfaction is in the final product and knowing that it can potentially affect just how well my day plays out!


This is important! Well, maybe NOT that important. My mother always told me: "it's not what you wear but how you wear it," and "it doesn't matter what you wear as long as you're clean and neat". I know, I know and I think her finger waving in the air and her saying this all the time. I have no excuse. I am just indecisive and have a hesitation to commit that quickly in my day.


Not long ago, an old friend posted a picture of me on Facebook. In it, I'm alone, holding a news mic, on the lawn of some seemingly unknown location. Oddly enough, the first think I noticed is the outfit: A blue blazer and a very apple green sweater. It is an ensemble graciously given to me by a generous retailer -- one that provided my wardrobe back (at least three years preceding when the picture was taken) when I was a face only seen behind the news desk on a local.


It comes to me: St. Patrick's Day 2004, the lawn of the Rhea County, Tennessee Courthouse; double live shot. I remember the photographer I was paired with that day, who was operating the satellite truck and the other reporter/photographer team -- and even the story --(Rhea County Commissioners had voted to ban gays) -- AND it is all because of WHAT I was wearing.


There are just as many days the final selection runs a muck and sometimes I write it or rather a simple thought down -- yup -- so I don't make THAT mistake again...segue -- and you guessed it: I have another STORY that goes with this!


Somewhere in my personal effects is an old day planner with a handwritten note -- "never wear strappy green stilettos on a drug bust".

This premise was settled upon after an exhilarating lead sent my former newsie self to a massive round up of pot (a.k.a. weed, marijuana etc). Of course, if a story is THAT fantastic -- good fashion MUST be sacrificed! Unfortunately, riding on a ATV in open toe, "strappy" stilettos -- through an OH SO overgrown field of briers and illegal plants, left the front of my feet and legs in a very not so presentable condition. The story was very interesting. Somewhere out there is a picture of me standing in the shade of a plant! I'd never seen anything like it in my life! But back to my point -- I remember the entire order of that day's events because of the shoes I had chosen to wear. While they were not sensible for the cause -- they really DO bring a list of memories from that day's events. Thus, "never wear strappy green stilettos on a drug bust"!

Finally, back in front of that ominous doorway. I'm not one to try on multiples. The decision just comes when you least expect it -- Today, I'll start with shoes. Here we go -- inspiration AT LAST!