My Gray Scarf

 Hey Neighbor!

Welcome back to THE NEIGHBORHOOD!   This week’s story is about one of my favorite scarves.  

I am definitely a saver.  A saver of money.  A saver of memories.  A saver of....things.  

In my defense though, I also love to get rid of junk because I like downsizing and I don’t need a lot of stuff.  

The stuff I do save is important though.  Like seashells from walks on the beach with the ones I love.  Or the flowers that I currently have pressed in some books.  A customer gave them to me as a thank you for being so kind.  I can never throw them away.  They are purple and they make me happy just as they did on the day that I found them sitting in water waiting for me on the counter.  

The things I save create a time capsule of my life.  

In it, you will find books that I love, my grandpa’s train keychain, playbills from magical nights in the theatre, and pictures and scripts from the shows I have done. 

Newspaper clippings. 

Special cards. 

Sheet music. 

These are things that when I open my big storage box, they make me smile and remember all the memories.  

My gray scarf. 

Let me tell you about this scarf.  It’s cozy, warm, and wraps around me like a blanket.  I will never, ever, get rid of it. 

I put it on one cold fall morning and head downtown to pick up the kid I babysit from school.  We cross the street and wait for the bus to bring us back uptown. 

When we get to the stop, we see two of his friends from the grade above.  One of them, is Suri Cruise. 

Yes, that Suri Cruise.  The daughter of Tom and Kate. The one who has appeared in dozens of those trashy magazines that I browse at the grocery store. 

SURI CRUISE. 

I’m star struck. 

By a 12 year old. 

See, this is what gets me about New York.  Here, you can just run into Keanu Reeves or Cynthia Nixon on the street.  Yup.  I’ve seen them both.  As a New Yorker, I try to act cool and pretend not to notice, but I can’t help but notice and my breath catches. 

So here I am...standing next to this girl, who’s mom was like a childhood idol during her Dawson’s Creek days and I am trying to play it cool. 

And then...it happens.  She turns to me and goes,

“Oh my God, I love your scarf!  It looks so warm!”

  It’s like she tells me that I won the lottery! I will never take this scarf off.  I suddenly am reminded of that blog that came out years ago called “Suri’s Burn Book” and I am thrilled because I will never be in that book because SHE LIKES MY SCARF.  This is the best day ever and for the first time, I am proud of an outfit choice.  

Whether it’s a scarf, keychain, letter or doll, these things that we collect, tell stories.  They make up the fabric of our lives.  I, for one, am grateful for the memories.  And I’m still reeling from the fact that Suri Cruise likes my scarf!  I’ll keep it.  

Your turn, dear neighbor!  What’s your favorite piece of clothing?  Do you have any fun memories associated with it?  

I can’t wait to hear your stories.  

I’ve Got You In My Pocket, 

Jackie 

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