New Graduate

Yesterday I graduated, FINALLY!!! 4 years, a hundred billion essays and thousands of dollars spent on transport and fees, I made it! It was a surreal moment when I put on my gown and hat and held my piece of paper loud and proud. All through uni I have loved watching people on their graduation day. The uni comes to life with the babble of excited chatter and when you watch everyone in their academic dress it’s easy to imagine you have slipped into a Harry Potter book! I’d have to say that wearing the gown and hat was the absolute highlight of the event! Actually walking onto stage and collecting the certificate was slightly scary but running around with my friends in our “dress ups” made everything so special. I was left feeling very disheartened when I had to hand back my gown and hat and wear my normal clothes, knowing that to repeat that moment it would take many more years of study!
This got me thinking, is everything more fun when you get to wear dress ups? Maybe the 4 year old boys we pass at the shops have the right idea when they are dressed head to toe like superman! Or little girls who hop around on the spot dressed as fairies as they wait for their mums to finish chatting to other s in the street. Kids at that age don’t know “what’s hot and what’s not” in the same way that we do. They just wear what makes them feel good- even if this means wearing a skivvy under your princess dress in winter to keep mum happy! Recently when I have been dressing for work I have tried to add a touch of fun every day. I’ll add on a fancy head band or sparkly shoes to an otherwise boring outfit at the last moment. It’s so easy to get bogged down in the mundane routines which make up our days, our weeks and our years, it’s important to jazz it up a bit. Compare young boys wearing superman suits to grown men wearing business suits while doing the shopping and think about who is enjoying life more in that moment…
The sad thing is, we get old and boring and a 50 year old man shopping in a spiderman suit doesn’t have the same sweet charm as a little kid- in fact he may require a mental health check! I find it hard to believe that a lady dressed as a fairy would ever make it as CEO in a work place. So while we have to wait for themed parties to go all out with our outfits, I think it is important on a daily basis to add on a wacky tie or a few too many bangles to add some sparkle to our days.