Hat Day

October 1st is Hat Day at my school. Normally, no one is allowed to wear hats at school. On Hat Day, however, it becomes a sea of colors and shapes. Who can wear the funniest, most extravagant, kookie, bright, big, small, etc., etc.? For $1, students get a sticker to wear that gives them permission to wear their hat. All of the money raised from the sale of the stickers goes to charity. It's great for the kids to feel a sense of giving, and it's great to get away with breaking a school rule!

I hate hats! I hate the hat hair I get when I wear a hat. I only own one hat, and I've never worn it anywhere. I think I will wear it on hat day! It was made for me by some very special ladies. You may have read about my time as a preschool teacher assistant. One special year, possibly when the planets were all aligned, every teacher and every assistant loved coming to work. We all worked together very well, with no one slacking off. We fed each other with humor, love, empathy and the joy of getting to play with three to five year old children (and going home without them).

During the summer, we agreed to meet at least once for a movie or a meal. One of the movies we saw together was the "Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood." We loved the movie, and would relive some of the funny scenes while we were at work. We also loved to celebrate each others birthdays with cards and surprises. That year, the surprises were hats. I can't remember who received the first Ya Ya hat, but it was a hat that had been covered with small trinkets representative of the different parts of our personality, as well as, special occasions in our lives. Everything was hot glued to the hat. The items included pictures, jewelry, small toys (boats, horses, cars, babies), and pieces that represented our dreams. Eventually, everyone had a Ya Ya Hat!



If I decide to wear my hat, I know I will be setting myself up for snickers, finger pointing, and the kind of laughter that starts way down in the gut and works its way up and out of the mouth, along with what ever food and/or beverage was recently consumed. But, hey, it is just a hat, and I will have paid my one dollar. If this post is still the most current post six months from now, you will know that I suffered immense humiliation and have been committed to an institution with years of therapy ahead of me.

It's probably a good thing to keep this all hush-hush from my family... I hope to be able to let you know how much I enjoyed Hat Day!