While I have lived in cooler climes for about 20 years or so, I was never big on scarves. I was rarely outdoors for extended periods of time, so they just seemed like extraneous fabric. The first scarf I recall buying was primarily a prop for a Christmas card photo in 2013.
My attitude gradually shifted over time, especially as I dove into soccer fandom. I now have one practical scarf and about eight decorative scarves.
I do appreciate a scarf’s ability to help keep part of my body warm, but there aren’t necessarily lots of opportunities to wear the fashion accessory outside of a handful of soccer matches and some of the cooler days during the year.
That changed this year as I started writing in a brand-new 18-month journal for 2023-24. After mostly finishing another similarly lengthy chronicle, I’ve found the tome can be awkward to write in. I have long sought objects to help angle the book just so to make it easier to write in.
Enter the utilitarian scarf.
Instead of hunting down a box or random book to help prop up my journal, I can wear my scarf wherever I go so it will always be at the ready when inspiration (or what counts for it, in my case) strikes me.
I think it may look a little odd for me to wear a scarf to random places — it might give off the mostly true impression that I’m a really big fan of certain soccer teams. The fabric does help my shoulders to feel a little warmer at times.
In addition to convenient portability, the scarf offers wonderful flexibility in supporting my journal. One side of the book often needs to be lifted higher than the other. The solution is simplicity itself — one folds the scarf as many times as is needed to reach the appropriate height.
Douglas Adams once wrote in “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” about the utility of always bringing a towel. I can definitely see the versatility of the towel, but a scarf offers a little more panache.
