Blogging Topic- A Favorite Item of Clothing

I used to look through my dad's high school year book when I was little dreaming that I would one day live  up to the expectations this ten pound book had given me. I would flip through endlessly looking at my dad's young face as a football, basketball, and baseball captain; voted "best all around" by his peers and named his graduating class' valedictorian. My father had achieved a lot in high school just like I hoped to when I was reading this book at the age of eight or so. I noticed in a couple basketball pictures he had a raggedy practice jersey that I had recognized from his closet before so I asked him if he still had it. My father told me that it no longer fit him but I could have it if I wanted it. It was just a plain, heavy, reversible t shirt with one side navy blue and the other side yellow. I slid my arms through it and noticed that it was very heavy. Probably because there were pretty much two shirts sewn on to each other but I liked to think that is was weighed down with all the sweat my father had put into this shirt as a high schooler. Basketball was always his favorite sport and it was an honor to be entrusted with the practice jersey he had worn for four years. 

As I grew older and could finally fill out my father's old jersey it developed more of a role in my wardrobe. It was still a little big for me when I was in middle school but I wore it anyway. If there was ever a pickup football or basketball being played I was definitely in my that old blue and yellow shirt convinced that  my fathers good fortune would come to me through the shirt. I even remember wearing it  to the last day of tryouts for the 7th grade basketball team. A team I eventually made, I credited all of my success to my lucky shirt. My dad was also happy that I loved his old shirt. Some forty years ago he had been in the exact same position as me in the same clothing. 

When I got to high school the shirt was still in my possession and was still being worn prevalently. I wore it under by baseball jersey and when football came around senior year I cut the sleeves off so I could wear it under my shoulder pads. It was still pretty heavy and probably not the best choice of clothing for a hot football game, but I simply couldn't play without it. It now rests in my t shirt drawer in my house because I didn't want to risk losing it at college but I can guarantee you that it will definitely be making some more appearances on the pickup basketball courts this Christmas break.