It's hard letting go...

This is my favorite hat.

Once upon a time it was a deep, beautiful, blood red.
It's appearance has waned (understatement), but the fit and brim have become more perfect over time.
My husband hates this hat. He calls it a cesspool of germs.
I have tried (under his less than subtle suggestion) to replace it.


I bought this one:lured by it's perfect brim, but later disappointed that the fitted nature of the design only fit my head if I had hair clips in my hair.



And this one:again, a perfect brim~ amazing given that it is a men's hat. But since it is a men's hat, I had to tighten it too much and it gave my head that just-born, cone-shaped head look.

I have observed what can only be described as a twinkle in my husband's eye at every hat purchase, sure that he is this will be the purchase that lands my beloved Nike hat on the curb for Tuesday's trash. I have watched that twinkle burn out as every hat pales by comparison to my beloved hat.

Where he sees sweat stains, I see glorious training runs where my mind willed my body into submission.
Where he sees dirt stains, I see cathartic hours spent in my garden hanging out with God and His wonderful creation.
Where he sees paint stains, I see my baby's nursery coming together.
Where he sees how badly the sun bleached the red into more of a yellowish/orange (and believe me I am being generous assigning it a color at all...) I see a million solitary high points of my life.

(And don't even get me started on the lazy hair days it has concealed...)

Now admittedly if I could find the same hat again or a hat that fit as perfectly, I would buy it in a heartbeat...
Except odds are, (like my grandmothers before me) I would probably hang it up and say it is too good to use. And again I would watch my husband deflate as I put the nasty, faithful one back on my head.

What can't you bear to let go?