Not quite a native Ripley Countian - she attended only her last year of high school in Doniphan though she taught in the R-1 system for 32 years - Teresa (Pearson) Lee delights in surprising readers and herself with anecdotal observations of life in general. Maybe you can blame her St.Louis roots for a quirky humor and some slightly-askewed opinions, but never doubt she writes from the heart.

Wardrobe Alterations

Posted Monday, June 27, 2022, at 12:09 PM

Written for Close to Home April 6, 2022

In a flash the coronavirus epidemic spread, shoving the word pandemic into everyday vocabularies while reality turned ordinary lives inside-out and upside-down. Life looked familiar but felt funny and cumbersome, so it was tossed into the hamper while the world dug through closets searching for something new to wear.

The new style took some getting used to. Though it looked like a one-size-fits-all, it was uncomfortable and inconvenient, like there wasn’t enough room for elbows and the buttons and buttonholes were off-kilter. Life filled time looking through old yearbooks, reminiscing about its comfy, favorite jeans and sweatshirt years.

Now another wardrobe-changing term is cropping up. How does endemic feel?

Awkward, that’s how. Life has entered a crowded hall not dressed for the occasion. The invitation isn’t specific about appropriate attire. Up-closer encounters and sideways glances make it seem as though a zipper is down or a snap has popped. Life’s socks don’t match and its shoes are on the wrong feet.

The world is learning to get dressed all over again. We all need an abundance of patience and practice turning a blind eye and hiding a grin - like watching a kindergartener dress for school with the let-me-do-it-myself attitude. Mixing plaids and polka-dots isn’t earth-shattering and maybe those gloves do complement the hat.

Change is definitely trending. I’m gonna dig my old life out of the hamper soon and try it on for size. Maybe I will fit right in. Maybe I won’t. Ease and comfort will be my guide.