Lucky Shirt!

 This has been long coming, probably I was waiting for my lucky shirt to be washed but I am hanging on to it for longer :D 

Since I remember, I have always found some material lucky for me. I think it started with my Grandad's hero fountain pen. I used to love it but did not manage to use it for long (Ballpens were easy to maintain and use). I did hold on to it for long. 

Then PU college happened which was like a turning point for most of us. I don't know how I got my parker pen, but boy I loved it. So much so, that I wrote every note with it. It was my fav pen ever and I have written every exam from PU to Be using that. Trust me it was not practical to use it as I used to run out of ink in the middle of a test and I had to replace the cartridge. I still have it and relish it for memories. 

Until this, I did not have any inclination toward clothes. Mainly because I could not fit into any ready-made stuff and was holding on to the tailor-made simple shit. My first jean which was a 26-inch waist was when I joined engineering. It was very special as I bought it using the money I saved thanks to the government college fee. Along with it came a bata chappal with a back belt. That was actually when I went ape shit on this luck thing. I loved them so much that I made sure I preserved for all my exams for 4 yrs. It was almost into 2 pieces but managed to keep it going. I actually gave my interview for Oracle in those chappals (I actually did) and got through it. 

Since then I have had multiple things that I thought were lucky.

-The black sweatshirt with an eagle print was gifted to me by my best friend at work. I still have it even though I have not used it in 12 yrs. 

-The black jean jacket which I and my chaddi dost bought as a pair is still running well. So much so that I wore it over the weekend :)

-The brown Clarks shoes that I used for 8 yrs in UK. They were so comfy I used them for all my client travel. 

-the striped tee that I wore almost every day to the hospital when dad was unwell. It became my hospital shirt and I wore it for major decision days. It did wonders and dad came home after 60 days of ICU stay :)

-The UCB jeans which I have abused so much thanks to the comfy and the look.

My collection of sweatshirts that I used during cold winters in Liverpool. Thanks to my dry skin, I could not use artificial heating and the shirts were the savior. I had such a hard time giving them away when I was moving to Bangalore. This is after I had used them like mad for 6 yrs :)

-The maroon shirt reminds me of the best time spent with friends and is super lucky :)

-The pink sweatshirt that turned out to be super lucky multiple times, from cold nights in UK to morning chill in Bangalore, has kept me warm and made me feel loved. 

-The luck black suit that I used for major events (now also, even if the style is outdated). I recently wore it to Great Place to Work awards and look at the results (rank 1 in mid-size companies in India). You can argue that the survey was submitted months before and the ranking had nothing to do with the suit but I beg to differ :)

-the cross fountain pen I use for all signatures

-the flat wallet which is an all-time favorite, I'm not going back to the old-styled ones any soon :)

The list is endless, no wonder I hold on to them for long. Not changing sizes (what a showoff :D) has given me a reason to keep them even though I know the style is changed and will not wear them. I also end up wearing them multiple times which is how clothes have to be used. I don't get the point in wearing them just once as it is uncool to repeat them, how stupid is that!

Thinking about it now, probably they were comfortable and felt so good that it made me relaxed. That helped me become well-behaved/energetic or whatever worked out in my favor making them lucky. Or it made me look good which is not very difficult (you know me, cocky)!! Or it was a special day that made me cling to things. Or I was in a situation which went my way and the clothes became special. 

It might seem to be stupid and people might think it is bullshit. TBH, it is, as nothing might have changed if I wore something else.

You can call it being materialistic which is OK as it makes me feel good about myself. Whatever it is, it reminds me of good times with lovely people, and has helped me get through situations and feel special. If that is not luck, I don't know what is!!!