There was a very large and rather official-looking Bank of America near where I grew up. I would tag along with my mom when she went there dutifully every week to conduct business. It seemed so glamorous at the time. We were at The Bank. I was to Behave. My mom would be dressed for running her errands, and she would look great. Sort of like this:
These things don't seem to exist anymore. People wear flip-flops to the ATM and their children run around screaming. Nothing is glamorous, and nobody dresses for anything.
Maybe that is why I'm often so over-dressed for things. I miss the days when people tried. I miss sitting in my room at age eight, making pretend to-do lists and pretending to get ready to go out into the world as my best self. Kids don't do that anymore. What does a kid have to fantasize about today? Playing Angry Birds, probably.
