Yes. They’re Pajamas. What Of It?

I’ve gotten quite a few comments on my attire as I’ve progressed on this journey.  I wear a Wish Walk t-shirt, but that’s hard to see because I need to wear one of those bright yellow vests that highway crews wear to draw attention to themselves so I won’t get flattened by a semi, a garbage truck, or a family rampaging down the highway en route to a late summer vacation.

My pants, though, are a different story. When I started walking last Spring in Indianapolis to get ready for this excursion, I wore a pair of non-descript gray sweat pants. These pants were comfortable enough, but as April turned into May and I began to get a feel for how demanding this walk was going to be, I started thinking about ways to maximize my comfort. I had an excellent pair of shoes – I’ve put over 1,000 miles on them so far this summer, and they’re still going strong – so I was set there, but I started to wonder if there might be something better than those gray sweatpants for such an arduous trip. Then, one night as I was meandering around The Fortress of Solitude getting ready for bed, it suddenly dawned on me that my pajama bottoms were the most comfortable pair of pants that I owned. They were lightweight and seemed durable enough, and I began to seriously consider swapping the gray sweats for my pajamas.

I should mention one other thing about these pajama bottoms. Unlike the gray sweats, they are anything but non-descript. They’re black, and they’re imprinted with dozens of depictions of the frowning mug of Stewie Griffin, the cartoon baby from the series Family Guy and my hero. You might think such pajamas are for kids, but I’m six feet tall and these pants fit me perfectly. You know any third graders that are six feet tall? I didn’t think so. I don’t either, so I long ago came to the logical conclusion that these pajamas were made for adults. That said, you could argue the merits of wearing such an item of clothing out in public, but I say to each his own. I see kids wearing their pants hanging off their rears every day, and I see businessmen – some of whom are surely quite successful – wearing suits that look like they came right off the rack from the Men’s Department at Sears, so it’s clear to me that there are wide parameters for what would be considered appropriate public attire. Besides that, I’ve never been one to really care what anyone else thinks, and I loved the idea of walking in these pants, so that’s what I’ve been doing.

It’s interesting to take in the reactions people have when they see me wandering down their streets or county roads. Most people, as it turns out, either have no reaction, or, if they do, choose to keep it to themselves. Generally speaking, the reaction I do get tends to break down along age lines. Young people seem to think it’s cool to see a guy wandering through town in such unusual gear. I spent a lot of time walking the Butler campus in Indianapolis getting ready for this walk, and more than a few coeds directed favorable remarks in my direction. So much so, in fact, that it’s not a stretch to say that had I known then what I know now, I probably would have ditched my jeans for these pants had they been available back when I was 20.

On the other hand, older folks have offered everything from raised eyebrows to derisive snorts as I’ve crossed their paths this summer. The best example of the reaction I’ve gotten from such folks comes from an incident back in late June. I was walking north of downtown Indianapolis, on Illinois Street at around 34^th, and as I moved north I noticed an elderly gentleman leaning forward on his front porch and gesturing to me.  Now, this guy was really old and quite distinctive looking – picture Red Foxx, only 30 years older and not dead – and it was clear to me that he wanted to make a point, so as I neared his home, I took off my iPod headphones in time to hear him say, “Yo, Casper. Them pants be a good way to get your lunch money taken in this neighborhood.”

I guess he didn’t know that I don’t carry cash when I walk.

Thursday’s Journey: Seymour to Columbus

Mileage: 18.4 (If you walked the length of the Masters golf course in Augusta, GA 4.36 times, you will have strolled 18.7 miles)

On the iPod: Larry Graham’s One in a Million You CD, The Dan LeBatard Show

P.S.: You can see more pictures from my journey on my Facebook page (Mark Joseph Boyle).