I use “don” in the sense of “don we now our gay apparel” in which “don” means put on (clothing, etc) and “gay” means “festive.” “Don” is a perfectly fine word. It only had one job, and it did it well. Why our living language chose to drop it and replace it with the rightfully exhausted “put” I will never know. “Put” is overworked and underpaid, and the addition of a slightly befuddled preposition (“on,” for those non-English Police who are reading this) doesn’t help.

Where was I? Oh, yes, I was donning my painting attire. Do you remember Tom and Jerry? These were Warner Brothers cartoon characters. Tom the cat raced around like a madman, sustaining all kind of injuries and damaging millions of dollars’ worth of property trying to catch Jerry, the smart-mouthed mouse.

I bring Tom and Jerry into my thoughts about painting because I am a Messmaker. When I paint, I put down a plastic drop sheet. Then I drip paint on the sheet, step in it, and track it onto the rug or the floor. On really tough days I might step in the paint tray. I take comfort by imaging Tom and Jerry trying to paint the bathroom and knowing I can at least do a better job than they would.

So, this morning I was prepping a small piece of plywood to add to the skirting on our trailer. I cut it and brushed off the dirt and sawdust. The next step was to paint it, but I realized I was wearing my regular clothes. The old me would have just forged ahead, because going into the house and upstairs and changing my clothes would have seemed like just too much work. However, the new me walked calmly to the house and changed.

I didn’t actually spill any paint during this small job, so I made sure to wipe my painty hands on my pants. I can be as mindful as the next person, but I also like to see evidence that I had a reason for taking the time.