Would It Be Better If I Had A Real Owl On My Head?

I have this new hat.

I bought it at the grocery store/retail store, Tesco this summer while visiting my bf’s family in Orkney, Scotland. It’s a winter hat, so I couldn’t wear it until only recently. Since I started wearing it a few weeks ago (maybe a little quick on the draw for a winter hat, but I don’t care…) I’ve been wearing it like nobody’s business. As much as I can possibly wear it, I’ve been wearing it.

I wear it driving into work and take it off once I get to my office. I wear it doing errands. I wear it just chillaxin’ on the sofa. I wear it to bed, where it inevitably falls off in the night and I have to search for it in the morning. I don’t know, there’s just something about this hat that I am head over heels for. (Pun intended.)

There are a few reasons why I love it so much. Let me list them for you:

1. It’s super soft and comfy and obviously keeps my head warm.

2. I got my hair cut recently, like quite a bit and I’ve been wearing it down more, so in the morning when I put it on over my somewhat damp hair, the ends curl up under it and it really styles my hair quite nicely without me having to do anything.

3. I like it because it’s from my second home, Orkney…and makes me feel connected to my family there….somehow…

4. Mostly though, I love it because…it’s funky and fun and funny and different. And that about sums up my personality in a nutshell.

And, this is kinda the point of this post…I have found, over the last few weeks of wearing it, that it brings out quite strong feelings in others that see it. Strangers I’ve passed or people I know, they either LOVE it or DESPISE it. I really don’t think I’ve come across anyone with lukewarm feelings for it.

I’ve had multiple people in stores stop me to tell me, “I love your hat!” I had a guy at Rite-Aid yesterday walk by me and smile…I knew what he was thinking…Either, “She’s cool with that funky hat…” or, “Did she escape from the state hospital??” But when I passed him again in another aisle, he pointed at his head and smiled at me and said, “Love the hat”…did he really need to point at his head? I know where it is. And, it wasn’t on his head.

I’ve also literally had people give me dirty looks. Today…at the grocery store in fact. I had a mixed bag…lots of smiles and nods of approval for my qwerky head gear as well as a couple of people giving me the stink eye or an eye roll or a disapproving head shake. They’re thinking, “Ugh, she thinks she’s so hip and trendy with that hat, she’s stupid…” or “She’s trying to be young again…damn her!”

It’s amazing. So, that is reason #5 of why I love this hat so much. People’s reaction to it. I love to stir up emotion in people. It’s kind of like a psychology study I’m doing. I’ll call it, “The Owl Hat Operation” or “The Owl Hat Project”.

Okay, I don’t want you to have to use your imagination, so I’ve been taking some pics over the course of the last few weeks when I first realized my true and real love for this hat.

These were all taken on different days. Yes, I wear my red CONCORD sweatshirt a lot too. It’s my “I don’t care what I look like right now, I’m comfy” outfit. Sue me.

Here we go: