No More Polo Shirts!

For the last four years, I have had to stuff myself into a polo shirt four days out of the week. The school staff had to wear uniforms while no one else at the facility had a set outfit to wear. There was a rumor that everyone would be wearing polo shirts very soon, but something else happened instead.

On Friday, I returned from peer supervision/lunch and found a piece of paper placed under my office door. It said that we no longer had to wear our old uniforms. We now have to wear something with the facility logo every day. We can wear jeans as well as slacks now. I hate polo shirts, so I am very happy that I can wear my t-shirt collection instead!

When I talk to other music therapists about professional dress, I stress the following ideas:
  • be covered from neck to knee - no gaps!
  • be comfortable - no one likes a twitchy person or being the twitchy person.
  • make sure you can do your job - I once met a music therapist who wanted to run around after my students in 3-inch heels. She quickly realized that her feet just wouldn't hold up to that much running around. She wore flats for the first time in her professional life!!
Now, I never feel comfortable when I am wearing a polo shirt. It rubs my neck in weird places. The buttons click against my guitar. I am constantly fiddling with the buttons - buttoned, unbuttoned, buttoned. I have twitches in a polo that I never have in a t-shirt.

Over the years and years that I've worked at this facility, I've collected quite a few t-shirts. (I don't want to count them because I think I'll be a bit depressed over how many shirts I actually have.) I am now excited about wearing them again. I may also spend some time converting those shirts into cute vests or something else that I find on Pinterest. Then, I can wear those vests over other shirts (this means that I can actually buy new shirts to wear to work!!).

Sometimes the little changes make for the best self-care boosts. I am contemplating which t-shirt I will wear today. I am looking forward to regaining my comfort level. I am happy that this experiment is over!! I will not miss the polo shirts at all. At all!

Freedom.

Happy Monday!!

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