I was walking through the woods with no pants on today. In the past three hours I had driven to work for my first session, which was canceled, driven home, and driven back to work for my second session, which was canceled. I wasn’t going home with nothing to show for the day, damnit.

It was an unreasonably pleasant seventy degrees out, so I followed an intriguing sign I pass every day that points the way to “Squire Pike,” where I got out of my car and found this:
(Except with less green leaves, because it is winter afterall, and I just swiped this photo from someone’s online album).
Unfortunately I was wearing a dress, leggings, and nice boots. Fortunately, there is a pair of bright red sneakers in my trunk that I neglect to unpack every time I move. Unfortunately, I had no outfit alternatives and was not going to wear my dress into the muddy forest. So after some deliberation I made the call to just go out in my tank top and leggings. (Fortunately, this isn’t too different from how most women dress anyway).
Best decision of my life. Beautiful trees, beautiful waterfalls, beautiful frozen lake, children trying to break the frozen lake with rocks, making me deeply nostalgic for childhood. I stayed until sunset and Doug came and joined me (and “offered” me his sweatshirt, which was basically a dress on me).
Then we went to Applebee’s for some ribs, and as I watched the hostess quickly eye me up and down, I was finally able to recognize one of the benefits of not knowing anyone in this state: no risk in going out to dinner in leggings, your boyfriend’s sweatshirt, bright red shoes, and purple-striped socks.