Security Blanket Wear

Basically everyone in my house is sick right now, in varying degrees. Gabby has been home from school the last two days with a cold, laying in her bed and posting "I'M SOOOO BORED" to Facebook approximately 6 times a day with her iPod Touch. Sam has woken up the last two mornings with a stuffy nose, but has soldiered through and went on to school anyway, mostly to prove to everyone that he is tougher than Gabby. Alice was up almost all night last night with a fever and runny nose, but got up this morning with a smile on her face. Matt has something, and it is hard to figure out exactly what. On one hand, it could be a faint cold, a slight sore throat in the morning and some general nose runniness and sneezing during the day. Or it could be that he has cholera and had his arm severed from his body last night in his sleep, sans anesthesia. Because he would act about the same if afflicted by either one of these. LIKE HIS WORLD IS CRUMBLING AROUND HIM.

Because Alice was up last night, so was I. So today I am tired. Like tired in this way that I don't think you can ever understand until you have a child who in sickness, finds herself addicted to breastmilk and Yo Gabba Gabba. My poor boobs! I'm pretty sure that the next time they hear Alice sneeze, they're going to send me a text that says, "Peacing out, BITCH. Call us when you decide to sell that baby to gypsies."

I wanted to stay home today like so bad, but we are having a major meeting tomorrow and I knew that if I called in my boss and my boss's boss would collectively have a heart attack at the same time. So in the interest of keeping everyone as healthy as possible, I pried myself off of my flannel sheets and into the shower. Now, I mentioned yesterday that I have done well this week as far as clothes go, but today I just wasn't feeling it. So I reached for the ubiquitous black pants and my new denim jacket. Which, no, is not work appropriate, but I spent the past 6 hours wondering how many bongs a day Mark Mothersbaugh from Devo smokes. Don't judge.

I got my first denim jacket when I was in the 7th grade. It was a Christmas present, and went with a black velvet mini-skirt, a pair of thick tights, a ribbed turtleneck, and a black hat. It was the 90's, ya'll. I loved that thing. I wore it until I got too big for it and I wore it with everything. My favorite outfit in 8th grade was the denim jacket, a shiny silk button down shirt, a flowered maxi skirt that I bought at Gadzooks in the mall and my navy blue Doc Martens. Pair with Hard Candy dark plum lipstick (MATTE, BITCHES), and you are looking....fierce? In fact, this is the only outfit that I can think of that I owned that didn't involve JNCO's. So kudos to me on that one.

My second denim jacket I got when I was a sophomore in college. This was the time in my life when I was probably the poorest of wardrobe, and I got really good use from it. I had this pair of black Gap wool pants and a black Gap wool skirt that I alternated almost every day. I also had several button downs, a W&M hoodie, and a smattering of t-shirts and maybe two pairs of corduroys. That was pretty much my wardrobe during the school year. The denim jacket tied it all together, and kept me from looking homeless. I kept wearing that thing as I acquired more wardrobe pieces, and often wore it in Cali over simple dresses with a scarf and boots. I loved the look--a little soft, a little rough, pulled together. I especially loved that the jacket showed its age well, kind of like the jacket form of Liam Neeson. I even rocked the jacket over a dress look when leaving the hospital with Alice. When I finally shrunk out of it last year, I was heartbroken. It still hangs in my closet, albeit toward the back, in a place of honor.

I saw another denim jacket at the J. Crew Factory store while in Gatlinburg for my birthday, and of course, scooped it up. I had my doubts at first--the other two jackets were from the Gap, and I briefly doubted if the mystique could cross brands--but then I put it on. And the feeling was back. It just felt like ME. I could see me wearing it over dresses to toughen them up a bit, with black pants and a funky printed scarf (which is what I'm wearing right now), even with a pencil skirt to make the look more easygoing and accessible. I have especially imagined with with the new gingham button down and wild orchid colored pencil that I am loving for spring. There is just something about the look, and something about the feeling of the jacket on my arms on a windy day, on a pleasant summer night, in the pale spring sun, that I just really like. And that makes me feel secure. Perhaps that is why I reached for it today. On a day when I am stressed and nearly overwhelmingly tired, the familiar is just what I need.

What are your closet "security blankets"? What do you find yourself reaching for when you need something to get through the day? Better said, I guess, what feels like you?