The Woman in the Cape

While at the mall today, I crossed paths with a woman who was wearing a cape (or cape-like garment; let's go with cape).  Initially I looked at her because she resembled a neighbour.  My neighbour is always impeccably dressed; she might wear a cape well.  This woman was not my neighbour.  And I might not have given her much thought, despite the cape, if it were not for the look she gave me as we passed by.  It was a look that seemed to say, and I'm paraphrasing, "You're not fit to walk the same planet, much less in the same mall, as me.  And look,  I have a cape."  It wasn't a friendly look.

Admittedly, I was not looking my loveliest today.  My clothes were in a changing seasons state of confusion and didn't match my running shoes.  I was wearing the running shoes because I have recently lost a nicer pair of shoes (I know; how does anyone lose shoes?  Did I come home barefoot from somewhere?)  It was, at best, a casual approach to fashion that I was projecting.  I would understand if the caped woman was disappointed.  I don't know if it was my fashion sense that bothered her though.

While, of course, I can't be sure of anything that this woman was thinking, what I sensed from her was that she thought she was better than me.  On that, I beg to disagree.  She was dressed more formally and I suspect that she may have a lot of money.  I'm not sure where "better than me" could possibly enter the picture though.  And if she thought in any way that I'm envious of her, I'm not.  I was and am having quite a happy, energetic and creative day.  I wasn't walking along thinking that I'd like to be anyone else or have anything else in the world (although I would like to find my shoes).  It would be nice to have more money but I hope that having it doesn't mean one has to wander around trying to look superior to other people.  If so, I don't need it.

I don't know a lot about this woman and she doesn't know a lot about me.  On both our parts, snap judgments seem to have been made.  Her look upset me a little though and I worked to figure out why.  I even looked at a cape.  I don't know that I could carry off such an unstructured piece - I knocked it off the hanger in the store; that wasn't a good start - and I don't feel a need to copy that woman.  I may try to dress a little bit better when I appear in public though.  And I'll try not to lose any more shoes.

JAHD