Priorities.

I have a friend and my friend’s highest priority in life is to wear pants. If anyone asks (or does not ask) my friend will tell people about the importance of wearing pants. It is the most important thing my friend will say, for everyone. My friend will talk at length about the best material, length, and number of pockets. My friend has opinions on zippers vs. buttons, seasonal vs. year-round, fancy vs. utility. My friend owns countless numbers of pants and receives them as gifts. My friend talks about how the pants feel and why they are so much better than anything else. Why wearing pants is the most important thing. Pants. Pants. Pants. So much talk about pants.

Yet. Yet… my friend almost never wears pants.

But my friend talks about wearing pants. Tells everyone else to wear pants. Has very strong opinions on pants wearing. And my friend will tell anyone else they should wear pants. It is the most important thing. Highest priority.

Yet… my friend almost never wears pants.

If I were my own best friend I would consider this a cautionary tale on a couple of fronts.

First, I would tell myself to consider if my actions match my words. If I say wearing pants is the most important thing in the world to me, then am I actually wearing pants? If I am spending all my time in shorts, perhaps I need to revaluate what my priorities actually are. Maybe wearing shorts should be my number one priority? Or maybe I should start wearing pants? Actions may tell more about where priorities lie than words do.

Second, I would tell myself if I am going to talk about pants all the time and tell other people to wear pants then I believe I should have some experience with wearing pants myself. How can I tell other people that wearing pants is my number-one priority in life, and should be theirs too, if I never wear pants?

A little food for thought today. Do you have a friend in your life who tells everyone to wear pants but never wears them him or herself? Do you listen to the words or do you pay closer attention to the actions? Do they both matter or does one matter more than the other?

Wishing you a thoughtful day of wearing pants. Or shorts. Or a skirt. Or pajamas.