Early Morning Pondering

I never know what odd things Facebook will cough up for my early morning consideration and, therefore, I don't know where my train of thought will go after viewing the image du jour. Perhaps the same is true for you.

So it's Mother's Day, and FB saw fit to show me a picture of Pope Leo as a very young boy with his mother. Okay, so far, so good. A nice shot of a lovely woman with three nicely-dressed little boys.

Which led me to the realization that once a person becomes Pope, we never see pictures of him wearing anything but his white papal uniform. 

Is he not allowed to wear anything else? Ever? Doesn't white after white after white get tiresome? Wouldn't he long for variety? Does he always have to be recognizable? Or are photographers forbidden from shooting him if he's in civilian clothing? Couldn't he wear a nice blue Oxford cloth shirt and a pair of khakis to go to the movies? What if he likes to spend his off-hours gardening -- wouldn't that white outfit get really dirty when he kneels down to plant some cucumber starts? Wouldn't that distress the nuns (or whoever) who manage his [boring, monochromatic] wardrobe? So many questions.

When I was eighteen, one night after work, some of the members of the typing pool went out to dinner at a now-defunct restaurant in Philadelphia called Tarellos, and then and there I learned the hard way that there are those of us who should never order spaghetti and meatballs if we are wearing a white blouse.  Going to an Italian restaurant? Wear red. Or black. Or stick with the Alfredo. The Pope lives in Italy; he soon will find himself tired of the carbonara, doncha think?

Okay. That's it for today. Please don't attempt to answer my questions. Rather, see where your train of thought might go. Mine's been off the track for at least a half an hour and I have to get ready for church.




 

Comments

Barbara Anne said…
What a good question and one that's also a hoot! Yes, spaghetti sauce is murder to get out of any white garment. Perhaps the Pope wears a bib when spaghetti or some equally challenging dish is on the menu.
Interesting food for thought, though.
DS1 and DIL favor black, white, and shades of gray. We favor blues, greens, and all other colors for our decor.
Happy Mother's Day!

Hugs!
Anonymous said…
I personally would not tire of spaghetti carbonara! It was my favorite dish when I was in Rome for a semester in college. Happy Mother's Day!
Lisa
Quiltdivajulie said…
Ah, but I read in the newspaper that the new Pope is a tennis player (and there is a court within the Vatican compound). Guessing he'll wear tennis whites when he plays (grin). FUN post!
Anonymous said…
I have to say if he is anything like most men I know, he doesn't even notice what he is wearing. Leading to his not caring if he wrecks it in the garden :) My question is do you think his outfit is any harder to get spaghetti out of then the average silk tie? How many of those have I seen stained!
Anonymous said…
Thank you so much for my lovely notebook, which made its way to me yesterday! Fortuitously I just finished the notebook that rides around in my pack and had been looking in drawers for an extra one I thought I had stashed, now I can forget that tiresomeness and enjoy the new one.

Ceci
Nann said…
I frequently think similar "what ifs," Nancy. The Chicago news has been all over the coverage of its new favorite son. The Prevost family home in Dolton is currently for sale. Their parish merged with another years ago and since then the merged parish has merged again, but the original church building, long vacant, is still standing. One of Leo's brothers set rest to rumors and stated that the Pope is a White Sox fan. Perhaps in Argentina or Bavaria or Poland the press published photos of childhood homes, interviewed friends and cousins, but perhaps this new coverage is because we're in the social media age -- and Leo is not only the first American Pope, he's also the first Baby Boomer pope. And long may he serve! (I was delighted that the FB feeds I get from Protestant denominations all posted in support.)
Anonymous said…
Sorry for commenting twice, couldn't resist sharing this story.
Years ago at a dinner party I was seated next to a Cardinal and we noticed that we had similar red satin shoes, which lead to an animated in-depth wardrobe comparison. Afterwards several other guests shared that they were very curious about what we were talking about with such verve. I never told.

Ceci