The Older I Get,

The smarter my Dad becomes. It's true. There is no hiding it now. The man is a genius. I'm not talking about the big things he and Mom have been trying to teach me for years. Those like, Love and Honor your spouse, Love and teach your kids, have good friends, Worship God, be respectful to others, Strive for something you might not be able to reach the first time, Live for something larger than yourself, Live within your means, those I get. OK so I'm still working on the live within your means thing - progress...

Anyway, back to Dad being a genius. I'm talking about the little details. Specifically, V-Neck undershirts. Ever since I started wearing undershirts I've worn crew neck. V-Neck were for old men - like my Grandpa and my Dad. They looked kinda goofy when worn alone. Not that I ever really wore my undershirts alone but it just didn't feel right. I would not wear a v-neck by choice. I remember once I was home and forgot an undershirt. I went to Dad's drawer to borrow one and all that were in there were v-neck. Of course I wore it but I was not comfortable. I was even wearing a tie so you couldn't even tell.

I started wearing undershirts really, becasue I was being cheap and lazy. I figured I could wear an undershirt so as not to get my regular shirt dirty. Then at the end of the day I could hang the outside shirt back up and get another day out of it because I hadn't really gotten it dirty - I got the undershirt dirty. This is still in practice somewhat to this day.

What I didn't like about the crew necks were that they stuck out the top of the shirt when you wore a polo shirt or didn't wear a tie with a dress shirt. It wasn't for fashion, the way you wear a colored shirt and layer it with another in a cool way. It's just that is the look of way too many IT guys with their khaki pants. It's like a uniform for some - chinos, brown loafers, polo shirt or plaid button up, and white undershirt sticking out - EVERY DAY. Now if this details you... I'm sorry. No, not really. Chances are I've made fun of you to your face. If not, I will.
I was that guy for a number of years, I don't want to be that guy now. Not that I don't wear that exact same thing every now and then I have made a drastic change that didn't hit me until a couple of weeks ago.

I was getting tired of the top of the undershirt poking out of the top. Part of that reason is due to the cheap/lazy thing again. I had old shirts and the collar was stretched or worn and it didn't look good. I stopped wearing them for a couple of days - that didn't feel right either. Then it hit me. V-Necks!
This is what I remember shortly after that - corrections can be made by SWMBO. I said, "Steph, I think I need to get a few v-neck undershirts so the tops don't show at the collar." She looked at me like I was an idiot (again this is my memory and I may have been imposing my own feelings here) and said "Yeah, I've thought that for a while, we'll get some this weekend." like she'd been waiting for me to come to this realization all along. I might have said "You know Honey, this might sound crazy, but a lot of people are wearing pants when they go out of the house. I might try that, could we pick out some pants for me?" You get the idea.

Now, I have 3 v-necks. I love them. I will get more. It might be something that grows on you (like nose hair) or something you come to appreciate with age (like smelly cheeses). I'm going to attribute it to the genius of my father. Thanks Dad! I can't wait to see what's in store for me to learn next.