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The Exclusive Silver Linings Collection
Lydia Paar
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L*STS: an Essay Daily Happening | About & Contents
Lists | Lasts | Losts | Lusts | Other
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- You had pneumonia when you were born (but you got to be the biggest baby in the NICU). A hospital wristband is an appropriate accompaniment.
- Your dad drank too much, so your parents got divorced (and you got to move from Kentucky back to Portland). Pair with a sweet little floral country dress and combat boots.
- You got stuck going to Catholic school all the way through (but knew all your graduating classmates by name.)
- (And were only bullied once).
- (And then you made friends with her). Pair with pleats, collared shirt, and cardigan. Perhaps a thong.
- You lived in your grandma’s tiny wood-paneled attic room in Portland (but got to hear all your grandparents’ stories). Pair with a farm horse, a Turkish scarf, an airforce captain’s hat, and a midcentury kitchen with flour on every visible surface.
- Your dad drank too much (but then he stopped, and you got to go to your first AA meeting with him as a pre-teen). Pair with coffee, cigarettes, and a vat of communal forgiveness.
- You broke four bones in basic training and ended up going AWOL (but didn’t get deployed to Iraq). Works well with an easy-breezy set of desert fatigues (shirt bleached out blue for disguise as a civilian).
- Embarrassingly, you filed bankruptcy at age 23 (but went to Scotland thrice beforehand). Pair with haggis, a kilt, and bagpipes.
- You suffer (or used to) from Seasonal Affective Disorder (and so moved to Arizona). Works well with turquoise and silver. And silence.
- In Arizona, you were cheated on a bunch by that one ex-bf you really had a soft spot for (but didn’t marry him).
- You didn’t marry that cheater guy (and was mad enough about it afterward to march downtown and pick up your now-husband within two weeks). Pair with a wine glass and kitten heels.
- You never got to study abroad as a student even though you took two semesters of German to be able to compete and not win a specific fellowship to Tubingen (and so were extra motivated to go as a teacher, to a medieval town in Italy). Looks especially right with a cone of gelato.
- You throw up if you have much gluten anymore (so you don’t). Pair with…not pizza/bread/pastry. Unless in Italy, wherein only heartburn occurs.
- You had to sell that little piece of land up in Valle where you envisioned opening an art residency someday, because you needed cash to replace your collapsing back porch roof (and now, your roof will not collapse). Accompanies a giant serving of adult responsibility and newfound realism.
- Along with some other annoying mid-life and menopause things: your body seems a machine for making little fibroids. It filled up your uterus with them. It was a big, expensive operation (but now, you have the coolest-ever open-cavity surgery photos for impressing your friends!). Pair with loose sweatpants and a medical stomach binder.
- Because of these missing parts, the PT people advise you not to run. You risk prolapse. Your mom’s had three. (So you walk, now, and see the world more slowly). Pair with reverence.
- And when you were recovering, your husband and your mom (your nurses) had to cut the bandage tape, together, out of your pubic hair. This was embarrassing for everyone involved (though now, you all know how well you all work together). Pair with gratitude, high-waist briefs, and more trips home to visit your family.
- Flying home is expensive. Healthcare is expensive. Eating whilst flying, getting healthcare, or doing anything or nothing at all is expensive. Everything is expensive right now (but at least no one will be fighting over your will). We offer a budget-friendly option so that everyone can share in the magic of the Silver Linings Collection. It’s slightly lower carat but sparkles just as bright.
- All of these pieces can be stackable for a layered look, and you can add more anytime you like!
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I find myself frequently in awe of how events I first found frustrating or even tragic in my life have led me to some of the most illuminating and interesting places in my thinking. I found the need, here in this form, to be a little cheeky about it all in order to avoid being cheesy. I suspect this list will grow up, someday, into a book, and the last item on this list reminds me so. I also want to say that I think lists are a great way to start unraveling one’s thoughts about anything, into anything larger and eventually actionable: if we can do nothing else in the face of seemingly insurmountable complexity, we can start simply by gathering.
Lydia Paar teaches at the University of Arizona, and is an advocate for stories. The fancier info is here: www.lydiapaar.com.
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