“Well! I say! I’d Never Be Caught Dead…”

It was a Saturday morning at Starbucks. I was standing there at the order window, ordering my usual grande, non-fat, caramel, no whip, hot chocolate with foam, drizzle and cinnamon. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed a woman pushing her cart and dragging her daughter toward the coffee shop area in Martin’s. As I paid for my drink and waited at the pick up window, she reached the order spot. She was very tall, and wore plaid pajama pants or lounge pants and a long, tan men’s overcoat, with the belt hanging down on each side. Her hair was a strawstack and she wore no makeup whatsoever. She seemed really nice when she ordered, and then the barista said, “Well, Dr. ______, I hope you enjoy your coffee! I was abit taken aback that this lady was  doctor. For some reason, I always think of doctors as these orderly well-put-together people who walk out of their large suburban homes looking like a million bucks. Ok, maybe I don’t really fully believe that, but a part of me does.

Immediately, my mind went to the years of living in South Carolina. The difference between there and here is night and day. Down south, a woman would never be caught dead at 10am in the market without hair done, makeup on, and a pristine outfit. When I would work for various families on Saturdays, I would get picked up at the dorm, and even at 8am, the lady who had hired me for the day to do yard work or whatever, would be arrive all dressed and made up like she had taken the time to get ready for the day. The midwest is not that way at all. The way people present themselves out here, by and large, is very casual often to the point of sloppy. Sometimes it looks like people have not bathed or used a comb in a week.

It made me think about presentation and how I present myself. External presentation is easy — wash, shave, comb your hair and wear clean clothes and that’s all it takes to appear presentable. But what about the internal? How do I present to those I encounter the reality of what is inside of me? Do I take the time to smile as I walk about and warmly greet the cashiers and people I meet, or am I so focused on the issues that I am dealing with that I am sullen or distant? And then, with external presentation, even though I know we are not “supposed” to judge people by how they look, I still consider it. Do I present myself in such a way that reflects a certain pride in myself (the good kind) and care for myself? I don’t have answers for all of this yet, but it was just something I was thinking about on a Saturday morning as I waited at Starbucks.