By Abe Villarreal

I like meeting people that tell me who they are by what they choose to wear. Not just the style of shirt or jeans they put on each day, but also the extra things they carry because they mean something to them.

Flannel shirts and cargo pants were a daily choice for a former co-worker of mine. Each time I saw him, he seemed to have the same outfit on. As time passed, I appreciated the simplicity of his everyday decision making. He knew what he was all about, and he wasn't afraid to show it – an outdoor kind of guy who liked extra pockets and sleeves he could roll up to be ready for wild and unknown adventures.

Another man I used to go to church with was a Mr. Fix It kind of guy. Whenever someone was in a jam, they knew he would be the person to turn to for a pocketknife or other small tool that could be used to save the day. He always wore those old blue jeans that you knew were probably his favorite because of the familiar faded imprint of a wallet on the back pocket.

I think guys that wear blue jeans with faded wallet imprints are always heroes.

Then there's my old friend Kurt who was more of a hippy, rock n' roll type. He was from New York and his big city background was something you could guess just by looking at him.

Kurt could be seen riding his bike up and down, and all around town. He liked wearing those oversized shirts that made his skinny arms look even skinnier. A red or blue scarf was always loosely tied around his neck. I knew that he had it on because he could use it to wipe his warm face at the end of his bike rides, and because scarfs always add their own kind of flair to any person.

What made Kurt his very own special, stand out kind of guy, was that he wore most of his life stories on his face. On each ear, you could see rings and studs of different sizes and colors. On most days, he put on eyeliner because he wanted to remind me and others that the rock music of the 1970s was still worth listening to and appreciating.

I remember he once told me that he knew every song from 1975 because that was the year he was behind bars. I couldn't tell that he was a former jail bird, but from what he chose to wear each day I figured his life had been through many twists and turns.

Life is a lot easier when you decide to put on the same kind of outfit each day. For some, maybe one outfit is all they own. They wear it to sleep in and to get around town. They wear it when the sun is extra hot and when the nights are too cold to imagine. We all know a few of those people.

And even for those that have that one outfit that they wear each day out of necessity, there is a story there to be told. It may be a story of resilience. A story of survival. A story of an outfit that got them through things.

Next time you are talking to a good friend, you might ask them about that old worn out belt that they just can't stop wearing. I'm sure they will open up and share of the many occasions that belt held them up through good times and bad.

And the next time you approach a stranger who you think needs a new shirt because the one he has on seems a little too worn out for your taste, let him tell you about the times that the shirt has protected him from everything life has thrown his way.

I like those kinds of people, the people that wear what they wear, no matter how old and out of fashion it may be, because what they have on has something to say about them and usually, something to say about life.

Abe Villarreal writes about the people, culture, and traditions of America. He can be reached at abevillarreal@hotmail.com.