The White Hindu
I’ve noticed that how I dress has a strong correlation with my mood. Have you ever noticed this in yourself? Maybe it’s a girl thing, because we have so many options of things to wear.
Each outfit I put on is a costume of sorts. It transforms how I feel and behave. On different days and different moods, different outfits feel right. On any given day I could be any one of these characters…
But which comes first, I wonder. Most of the time I feel my way towards an outfit in the morning depending on the mood I’m already feeling. If I were feeling down, though, would I be able to force my mood up by wearing a sari?
When I’m struggling through depression I don’t take much care at all in my appearance. It’s really difficult to care, and when you’re using all your energy just to get yourself from bed to your job, well, you don’t have anything left for figuring out what to put on your body. When I show up in sweatpants and a shirt I’ve been wearing for three days, I’m probably deep in the depths of depression. My office being a bunch of young engineers, I really don’t think anyone notices when I wear the same outfit several days in a row 🙁 When I’m really depressed, I cocoon myself with my clothes. I wear baggy tops with long sleeves that I feel hidden in.
Depression hits me for different reasons at different times. I don’t know what caused this last bout, but happily I’m back to thinking about and enjoying clothes! Finally some of my nice clothes that aren’t sweat pants are getting into rotation again.
Nothing makes me feel better than wearing a sari. Seriously! It makes me feel adult, in control, refined and elegant. It makes me feel slim too! Tabu from The Namesake
This Friday’s wild card post is going to be all about different ways to wear sarees with lots of pictures and a video.
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On a completely separate note, I spoke on my old blog about possibly doing a book designed to help new converts to Hinduism (with, of course, a discussion of the word “convert” and the ways in which it does and doesn’t apply). I’ve gotten some new inspiration for that project and I plan to submit a proposal to Patheos’s press.
My thought is that I will have tasks broken down by week to get new people adjusted to living as a Hindu, starting with instructions for setting up a home altar to going to a temple, participating in holidays, etc. There will be tips and suggestions for issues unique to new Hindus (such as some of the questions you might get and ideas on how to respond), a glossary of terms you should know, a list of holidays, and suggested resources. Also some essays with various points of view on issues like how much of the culture one should/can participate in.
I would like to be able to show the viability of this project to Patheos, so post a comment or send a Facebook message if you think this is a book that would be helpful or of interest to you!
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This week I’m at the beach, showing Brad one of my favorite childhood places and I’m not going to be on the Internet, so please enjoy my posts and I’ll be checking back in with your comments as soon as I get back!
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