How to Take a Cue from Pants

It all started with pants. 

Well, sort of. In the literature discussion class that I teach, we are reading the American Girl books of Kirsten Larson. The stories are set in Minnesota in 1854. We were talking about the fact that Kirsten wore dresses everyday, and she had to tuck her skirt into her apron when she went fishing. 

And then we started talking about pants. 

Yes, pants. Revolutionary, I know. But for a ten-year-old girl, imagining a time when girls only ever wore dresses is quite the concept. So then I asked them when women started wearing pants. 

Do you wanna guess how much history we covered in the next four minutes of class? We went from 1854 Little House on the Prairie to WWII Rosie the Riveter to 2013 and pants ruling the world!

All about pants. 

Interesting discussion though. Women wearing pants was a pretty radical thing when it first happened, and now we don’t give a second thought to it. Women’s pants have really only been on the scene for a little over 70 years. That’s not very long, when you think about it. 

Then I started thinking about how quickly our world and culture changes, and not just in the fashion industry. (That’s a wholly different ballpark!) 

Just in the last fifty years—one generation ago—gender roles were clear and distinctive (not so much now), you couldn’t talk on the telephone if you weren’t inside your house, and if you had a TV, you only had one. Children played outside, switchboards actually had switches, and you could actually buy something with a nickel. 

And when we talk about technology, you only have to go back about 8 years to find a drastically different world. 

I do appreciate all the amenities we have today when I think about how fast things change. But it also helps me slow down and enjoy the moments I have now.

When was the last time you slowed down? Don’t move too quickly that you forget to enjoy today. 

So thank you, pants, for the way you’ve made me appreciate today.