Warm weather brings out so many things here in Chicago.
Summer garments and accessories are all the rage, and just walking the streets of our fine city, you will see people decked out in just about anything and everything warm-weather related.
Sunglasses, sun dresses, funny hats, short shorts, long shorts, baggy shorts, swimsuits— you see it all (or in some cases, you see less of it all!
But nothing can compare to t-shirts. They are the staple, heart, and soul of summer wear, and you see them in all shapes, styles, sizes, and colors.
My favorite thing to do is read the messages on these shirts. Sometimes it gets a bit delicate because it requires staring a little too long at someone’s midsection or upper body to ensure you thoroughly read all the wording— (but that is the price you must pay for journalistic curiosity.)
Like t-shirt styles, the writing and sayings on these shirts come in all different forms. Some are hilarious, some really thoughtful, some just downright strange, and others? Nothing short of inspirational
Over the past few months, I have made some notes and jotted down some of the T-shirts I have noticed from folks I pass by, most of whom just go about their business walking the streets of Chicago. You may have seen some of these yourself during your summer travails.
The strangest one I saw was right before writing this piece. A young man walking the lakefront wearing a blue shirt with white writing that simply said on it: “Commit Tax Fraud.” That was it. I looked closely for more writing, maybe a message? Possibly, some fine print I might have missed? —but nothing. I even checked the back of the shirt to see if there was a sponsor or some funny tagline attached. Nope. Nothing. The shirt simply said in normal-sized block letters on the front, “Commit Tax Fraud.”
That one caught me as particularly strange, and I am still struggling to find a second meaning. So far, I have been drawing blanks.
Moving on…Here are some of the classic sayings I have seen on T-shirts this summer:
“I am pretty good at making bad decisions.”
“Lead me not into temptation—I can find the way myself”
“Boxers or briefs? Depends”
“Just Love Life.”
“I used to be a people person, but people ruined it for me.”
“When life gets too hard, kneel.”
“If you can’t laugh at yourself, I’ll help”
“Born to run, forced to work.”
“What a horrible idea. What time does it start?”
“Don’t blame me, I was unsupervised as a child.”
“BWYB. Black, White, Yellow, Brown. One People.”
“Blood, Sweat, Respect— The first two you give, the last one you earn.”
“Life is too short to be reading quotes about life being too short”
“Native of up north, over east, out west, and down south-Chicago”
“My ex-wife had a better lawyer….so all I got was this lousy t-shirt.”
“Chicago: A sunny place for shady people.”
“Chicago made—west side raised.”
“Do good and be nice. The wave of the future.”
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take; Wayne Gretzky.”
“How can we discuss things intelligently— when you insist on talking”
“Hardest worker in the room.”
“Dogs make me happy. You— not so much.”
“Riots not diets.”
**** Just a sampling of the many clever sayings and messages seen as people walk the streets of Chicago during the summertime
Sooner than we care to think about it, fall and winter jackets will be the norm instead of t-shirts, and then I will have nothing to look at as people pass by.
The only “ message” on those jackets is— it is cold outside!
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