Put Your Pink Tights On

I remember standing next to a middle aged man who was wearing stilettos, pink tights, a black bra, floral hat and holding a white umbrella one sunny afternoon as we waited to cross a busy city intersection. Surrounded by city dwellers in their more uniformed clothing, the fellow was humming to himself and had a smirk stretched across his face, he was seemingly oblivious to the looks of bemusement and disdain he was attracting from the commuters around him. I considered those standing at the corner with us and noticed how nobody else was smiling, actually they all looked quite glum and bored, and I wondered if this humming middle aged cross dresser new something the rest of us didn't.

Some years after standing next to the brolly twirling gay hummer I had the realization that I had little or no individuality myself, and so much worse than that, I wasn't being true to who I was. I worked at a boring repetitive job which I complained about constantly, lived in a small apartment like any number of hundreds around my area, wore a ten dollar collar and tie combination each day that I hated having to wear, and I was always talking about how I wanted to sell everything and take off traveling. I was always talking about it. I would always announce to everyone that "One day I'm going to sell everything and go traveling, do you hear?' And I never did. Until I did!!! Nearly ten years later I'm still out there doing it. And at closer to fifty than forty years of age I'm most always the oldest looking for a dorm bed.

Looking back, I wish I had had the courage to put my pink tights on sooner than I did, but society expectation had a firm grasp of me. For as long as I could remember I was promised by family, friends and society that if I worked hard, got married, bought a house, kept working, had kids, bought a car, kept working, invested wisely, kept working, bought an investment property, kept working, got the kids into a good school, kept working....... by the time I reached sixty five I could retire and then enjoy my leisure doing things I enjoyed - it would all be waiting for me at the end of my life. I declined the offer.

We all have a uniqueness and an individuality that screams to get out, I believe. Some lucky people are able to identify and embrace that from a young age (celebrate the next time you see a fourteen year old with bright blue hair), whereas others like myself are fearful of what people may think, or worry about not living up to others or societal expectations, or are concerned that they're too old now to live their dream and fulfill their personal wants, and quite often we just simply creat a myriad of excuses as to why we can't possibly do what we'd love to.


I now see things like this!! You have been given the very fortunate gift of one life to do as you wish with, and to waste that opportunity by not pursuing your dreams, chasing your desires, and at least trying fulfill your hopes, will reward you with nothing but regret in your rocking chair. And surely it is better to have the regret of something you did, rather than the regret of something you didn't. So put your pink tights on and cease the day.