My Stained Glass Shirt

This is my little story about stains

I like wearing stained shirts when I am having a little “me time.” Stains remind me about yesterday… and in some cases they remind me about the past several days. In a way, stains are like wearable souvenirs. Stains are also useful:

• They act like a memory device and they help me recall yesterday’s dinner.
• I hate to make lists, so I make stains instead. When I want to remember my projects, I review my stains. 
• Stains are like wearable inkblot tests. My clothes scream, Interpret me.
• Stains make me a type of walking Braille.
• Stains are the ultimate form of Moving Street Art. Heck if we jog with stains, we are like Street Art on Ritalin.

Stains make me feel comfortable. Its like I carrying yesterday’s creativity with me. Yes, it is a little gross to think about stains, but also comforting at the same time. Just like surgery.

Stains on work clothes are not popular. I am careful not to wear my Yesterstained clothes to the office. It’s funny that at work, stains are a distraction. I look at another person’s stains and I begin thinking about food or about a weird drawing that I could make with a stain. In fact, stain drawings are a form of art. (Stains are powerful and subliminal. And you just experienced the power of THE STAIN).

Stains bring us so many good things. When we want to make our wooden furniture or our wood fence look nice, what do we reach for? When we think of beautiful church window glass, what comes to mind? When we want to create a tie-dyed shirt, what do we do? What is color? The answer to each of these questions is Stain.

Life can leave stains on us. You may think that my stained glass shirt story is gross. You may have a point, but have you thought about how life can leave stains that you cannot wash away? You and I walk around with stains on our eyes and stains on our souls. Psychologists call this bias, prejudice, pain and assumptions. I just call them stains.

Life can be hard and it can mark us, just like my favorite hoodie. I get to cuddle up with my hoodie, but if you are prickly and annoying, who cuddles with you? Our stains make us who we are. Hopefully, you are at peace with your stains.

For a little stain therapy, make a stain on your favorite hoodie and sit with it. It may grow on you. Well, if it grows on you… I’d wash that one. That is really gross.

If you like this piece, you will really enjoy my piece on How to Make Your Meetings More Interesting.

 

Keep it real.