Here's my challenge to you: Every Tuesday for the remainder of the summer, wear an aloha shirt.
A good friend of mine, Gary "Hammer" Smallen, an unbelievable coach who has been in education for 45 years started this tradition at the school where I have had the privilege of working alongside him. He's moving to a new school next year to start their athletic program and finish out his final 5 years to get him to an even 50 - an unbelievable accomplishment. Over the last few years, Hammer would be stationed by our school's entrance near the gym, greeting students, faculty, and staff each morning with a smile, some music on his laptop, and a story or joke. It got my days off to a fantastic start.
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Hammer in the hospital...in a
Hawaiian shirt. #Dedication |
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Hammer on the links -
Tuesdays are Tropical, no matter where you are. |
Tuesdays, though, are his forte. Every, and I mean
every, Tuesday, Hammer wears a Hawaiian shirt. He even had a friend bring a Hawaiian shirt from his closet at home to the hospital because it was Tuesday and his emergency heart surgery was forcing him to stay there. He dubbed the day of the week "Tropical Tuesday" and calls it "a movement." Well, once I learned of this, I immediately hopped on board. My closet full of flowery shirts needed purpose. Soon, a handful of others, including my son, started riding the Tropical Tuesday wave. My son has carried the tradition off campus and onto a new one - convincing his fellow drumline members at his university marching band to join the movement. Now, Tuesdays are the days when you notice tropical shirts and compliment each other on their choice of aloha attire, and I'm starting to notice a few more each Tuesday. The movement is spreading and you're invited to join.
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| My closet |
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| A picture actually hanging in my home |
Whether you consider them kitschy, comfortable, cheesy, chill, gaudy, or gorgeous - Hawaiian shirts are certainly fashion statements. What that statement is depends on the wearer and, in a way, the observer. I happen to be quite fond of this style of shirt, and have been for years. They are casually flamboyant and sophisticatedly sloppy. You can find them at a premium price from retailers like
Tommy Bahama and on rock-bottom clearance racks at resale shops. Needless to say, if you're new to the game and in the market, keep looking because the right one (or ones) will call out to you. Listen to their call and take the plunge - you'll feel a cool satisfaction that's difficult to put into words.
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Leon Russell - Image courtesy of
LeonRussellRecords.com |
In honor of my flowery friend, Hammer, today's tune is "
Back to the Island," a favorite of mine originally offered by legendary singer, musician, and songwriter Leon Russell and covered by Jimmy Buffett on his 2004 album
License to Chill. The song expresses the singer's necessary return to an island in order to move past his heartbreak over leaving a relationship that was wrought with questions and games. This particular island provides peace and respite, a home for escape, reflection, and recovery. Sounds like he needed to breathe in, breathe out, and move on, and this island was the perfect place in which to accomplish such a task. Good call, if you ask me.
So, don your aloha shirts today and every Tuesday this summer. If you're bold, carry on the tradition into the winter months and participate year round. Never fear, there
are cold weather versions of this tropical attire. I know. I have some. Wear them with pride. Tell your friends and family. And accompany Hammer and me (and Jimmy...and Leon...and Jay and his drumline...and Tucker...and Roger...and Terrence...and, well, you get the picture) back to the islands. Happy Tropical Tuesday, y'all!
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| Image courtesy of Amazon.com |
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| Hang loose, Hammer! |
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