Cool

What is it that makes cool cool? Why do we make James Dean, Ernest Hemingway, Indiana Jones and Steve McQueen iconic representations of the definition? Cool transcends style, age and riches. Poor folks can be just as cool as the rich guy with a sports car.

Sometimes our own attempt to be cool comes off looking forced--like when we desperately try to keep up with styles and trends--vulnerable to cunning salesmanship. A deep-V-neck t-shirt with a scarf, I recently heard someone say, looks confusing--too hot for sleeves but too cold above the shoulders. Really?

As a resident of the Nashville area, it's fun to watch the tourists invade town with their cowboy outfits, all detailed down to the silver-tipped western boots and leather duster. Even country artists don't wear hats offstage. It's a costume!

Haircuts...don't get me started! When my son in law, Adam, and I visited the Carolinas last week, a dear friend looked at us with our similar hair styles and said, "I didn't get the memo about how to comb my hair today." I could have taken it as an insult, but I refrained from any retribution, knowing that Nashville is cutting edge (wink) and that this week's fashion wave hasn't hit western North Carolina yet. Poor souls (insert a condescending roll of the eyes).

Cool comes in all sizes, colors, ages, genders, and it shows up in every era of history; it isn't a respecter of persons and certainly doesn't tolerate fools. Cool usually happens when we're not trying, when we're not looking in the mirror or self-conscious.

Who knew that "geek" would someday become "sheik." Stick around and you might be cool for 15 seconds. Just don't hang on to the mullet or the Hammer pants you've had in mothballs for 15 years. They will never come back...or will they?

In any event, cool is quiet, brave, doesn't follow the crowd, and doesn't care for your opinion. Cool knows the truth and isn't afraid to live it out. When those qualities go out of style, I guess I'd just rather be old fashioned.