Comfy Pants

Growing up, I have acquired and stored a lot of peculiar memories that I do not quite appreciate or seem to understand until later points in life. My Dad normally dresses in regular business attire with the occasional break into business casual. When he arrives home from work, he says hello to everyone, goes and looks at the mail, makes idle chit chat with my Mother, and then normally goes upstairs to the bedroom. When my Dad returns shortly after, he is still wearing whatever tailored shirt he had on that morning, but his tie is off, his birkenstocks are on, and he is wearing some pair of sweatpants.

For many years I did not really understand why my Dad had to change his pants to come back down, read the Wall Street Journal, watch t.v. and eat dinner. Between strict dress codes, fashion trends, and my Mother's shopping influences I did not own a pair of sweatpants myself until a pair for Jesuit's swim in my junior year of high school. Even today, I have three pairs in my possession: a pair of RPI sweatpants purchased freshman year, a pair from swim team senior year of high school, and a loving pair of Victoria's Secret pants that I keep meaning to give back to Chelsea. I sadly lost that pair from junior year during my first year at RPI.

Tonight after a long day of errands, cleaning, studying, work and water polo practice it clicked. While I have been wearing sweatpants much more frequently in college, it is normally on the way to the gym or to bed. If you ever see me wear sweatpants to class or on campus, it's a pretty good indicator that some combination of my mental, academic or social well-being is in chaos. Jesuit's dress code is still ingrained in me a bit to this day. Despite my outer standards, I do enjoy sweatpants in my own home. I have changed into sweatpants before in the evening, but it finally clicked tonight as I changed into my senior year pair. Comfy pants are a hidden comfort in life.


I have known others who practice the comfy pant phenomenon. A good companion always changed into a pair of comfy Adidas soccer shorts. My Dad has a gray pair and a dark blue pair that he also sometimes wears when coaching soccer practices. My ultimate comfy pair is the one I am currently wearing. The sweats from senior year swim team, I somehow mistakenly ordered a size medium, which wouldn't be such an issue, if it wasn't for the fact that my waist is fairly small, and that it's a men's medium. Despite the fitting flaws, they are the comfiest things alive. Thick, gray, and possessing pockets, pairing these sweatpants with the same shirt I wore during the day with jeans makes my legs a bit happier. Also my stomach for that matter. I just got out of water polo and my abs could use a rest.

While I know that not many people comment on my posts, I do know that people read them. So what say you folks? Do you have a pair of comfy pants? If so, what are they?