I wear many hats. Oh wait, maybe it was none at all.

For those of you who have been reading my blog, you know much about the two excursions I have had to Disneyland during my college career. Oh what merry times they were. On both occasions I spent a considerable amount of time trying on hats. The first time I wandered around a store with hats in many sizes, shapes, and colors, alternating wearing them and making faces in the mirrors. There seemed to be a hat for every style, and I debated with myself, switching hats over and over again, which one I should buy. But of course, on that first visit I had not brought enough money for a hat, so I was left with the excuse of waiting until my roommate's birthday to decide. In the meantime I would simply dream of all those hats and which one was best suited to my life.

Next time rolled around, and this time I was sure I would be able to find the perfect hat. The situation was similar, same store, same mirror, same hats; actually there were even more hats this time, along with the previous suspects. I ran back and forth across the store, holding armfuls of hats and wondering if the employees would be bothered if I just took every hat in the store and sat in front of the mirror until I had decided.

I narrowed it down to three. There was a green one, a sparkly gray one, and a multi-colored, semi-shimmery one. These hats danced on and off my head, chasing each other in circles as I debated. And finally, after an extended period of musical hats, I put them all back and left the store. Because, you see, I have no hats. You may be confused. I expect some of you are saying to your computer screen, "But Caroline, of course you have no hats, that's why you need to buy one!" This is, and always has been, my dilemma in shopping. I have a secret fear that if I wear something that I do not usually wear, people will look at me disapprovingly and say, "Caroline, who do you think you are?" This is why, if you spend enough time with me, within a few weeks you will have memorized most of my wardrobe(not all of it, mind you, because I have a collection of things that I don't wear for the same reason that I don't buy hats).

As I ponder this event, and most of my other shopping experiences, I have to conclude, as I'm sure you already have, that I am being ridiculous. I make my wardrobe choices out of fear of what some extremely bold, critical and angry people(whom I have never met but I still suspect is out there) might say. Psalm 56:4 says "In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?" This verse is so simple, and in everyday life should be so easy to obey, and yet so often I have ignored its uncomplicated wisdom. Realizing this, I can only conclude, as I am sure you already have, that the only proper response would be to alter my ways of thinking, and to buy the hat. Look out, world.

Truly His,
Caroline