Leaving your coat at home

Today’s post is inspired by the hot weather we’ve been having in the UK lately. It’s been about eight years since we had such a good summer and that reminded me of how I used to be afraid to leave my coat at home, or take it off in public. At school it was the blazer that had to stay on. And tights. No matter how hot the weather was – and there were some blazing days!

Did I enjoy sweating? Of course not. I was just too afraid to remove the protective layers. A large shapeless blazer or coat  felt like a good way to hide. It was a suit of armour, a mask to hide my identity. It also made me stick out more at school. I knew it wasn’t helping me ‘blend in’ but I just couldn’t drop it.

It was only when I reached my early twenties that I felt able to stop using clothes to hide in. It started when I found a reason to be happy. I threw out the dull jeans and loose black tops. I stopped hauling my coat on every time I left the apartment. I rediscovered colours, and didn’t sweat so much.

Now, I know that hot weather isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. I’m rather partial to a shady spot with a breeze when the temperature heads towards 30 celcius. But in Britain it seems such a rarity to have weeks of sunshine and warmth that it’s really worth celebrating and enjoying them when they do come around. Do yourself a favour and leave the coat at home.

Do you ever feel the need to cover up? Why?