A matter of self-esteem, or ask the cat

Sitting in the fountain area of the Music Hall at Dallas Fair Park Sunday, I was in author-observation mode. Well, most authors are in observation mode 90% of the time anyway, since it's certainly a politer term than saying we're nosey. After all, how can you conceive different characters if you can't observe different real people?

But that's not what this is about. People-watching, I considered wardrobes. How do we decide what to wear? Weather, certainly, and while I would hope the event would make a difference, I find most people dressed too casually for this one. To me, it's an event, a journey in on a Sunday afternoon, something special in my life. So going to a summer musical in shorts? Oh, please. Where's the decorum?

Or, where's my self-esteem? Perhaps to wear shorts to this is just the thing to do for some people. They could wear something else, but they don't have to. The problem is mine, obviously.

So, I guess I should be more like my cats. Cats and nonchalant self-esteem are synonymous. Ever watch a cat roll off a table or not quite make the leap from chair to window? The look of surprise on their face is immediately overtaken by the attitude of "I meant to do that. What's your problem?"

Not that I'm wearing shorts to the Musicals any time soon, but next time someone else does, I'll be in author-attitude-observation mode, to see if I can catch the cat.