The Importance of Proper Attire

The title of this blog needs some explaining. See, I don’t actually run in jeans on any regular basis; I don’t actually run, period, though if properly motivated I can walk pretty fast.

One day in the not-so-distant past, bedazzled by the athletic prowess of my more energetic friends, I made an impromptu decision to start a running program. Right then and there. So I laced up my shoes and flew out the front door. I can do this! Once around the subdivision’s half-mile circle—with a few steepish hills thrown in—and I was draggin’ my wagon, let me tell you. So my newfound burst of enthusiasm met with an untimely demise.

Unfortunately, my daughter Christina was there at the time. Why do we rear daughters, if not to bear witness to our every weakness, foible, and embarrassment in life? And further, to embellish and blab it to whomever will listen? The first to hear the news were her two sisters, Kim and Angie: “Mom went running in JEANS today!” Much to my confusion, hilarity ensued. Yes, I was wearing jeans. Was that wrong? I have to plead ignorance here, because if I’d known that sort of thing was frowned upon I would have changed into culottes. (Look it up! It means a skirt with legs. Honest.) Kim imagined the neighbors’ casual observations: “Why, there goes that nice Mrs. Welsh. She seems to be in some sort of hurry. I do hope she’s all right.”

My running program lives on in the unprovoked eruptions of mirth when the girls or their friends (Rachel, I’m talking to YOU) find a way to work the phrase “running in jeans” into the conversation. You’d be surprised how often it comes up. But to show what a good sport I am, I’ve named my blog just to bring them a smile. Kim, Angie, and Tina, this one’s for you.