Chad Miller's Blog
April 10, 2025
The right fit
I’m built different. It’s just a fact, so when shopping for pants, it’s exceedingly difficult to find the right size. Me and the fam went to the shopping outlets this past weekend, and I found myself in my favorite store. Natasha pointed out a pair of pants and commented that I would look good in them. I agreed, and I asked an employee if they had my size. She explained that they were on clearance and didn’t have my size on the rack, but she would check the pair on the mannequin. To my luck, it was! But still, with my lanky body, I needed to try it on. The kids were hungry, so I told Natasha I’d meet her at the restaurant after I was finished.
The employee had trouble getting the pants off the mannequin and asked another employee for help. In a few moments, the whole store was trying to rip this thing apart. They twisted off the chest from the waist. In doing so, the head fell off. There were shoes on the feet that were stuck on. I grabbed a hold of a shoe while three employees heaved backwards. The leg snapped, and they went falling backwards. Finally, after many bruises and broken mannequin parts, we freed the pants. I took my spoils, went in the changing room and alas….they were too short!
With my hands in my pockets and chin to the ground, I exited the changing room. I saw an army of employees trying to reassemble the mannequin with a new outfit. I quietly laid down the neatly folded short pants on a nearby table and whispered, “I’ll leave these right here.”
The point of this tale is that it’s worth trying things out, but if it doesn’t work, you can’t force the fit even if the journey was a huge waste of effort and time. This can apply to many things in life, but for me, it applies to my writing.
The employee had trouble getting the pants off the mannequin and asked another employee for help. In a few moments, the whole store was trying to rip this thing apart. They twisted off the chest from the waist. In doing so, the head fell off. There were shoes on the feet that were stuck on. I grabbed a hold of a shoe while three employees heaved backwards. The leg snapped, and they went falling backwards. Finally, after many bruises and broken mannequin parts, we freed the pants. I took my spoils, went in the changing room and alas….they were too short!
With my hands in my pockets and chin to the ground, I exited the changing room. I saw an army of employees trying to reassemble the mannequin with a new outfit. I quietly laid down the neatly folded short pants on a nearby table and whispered, “I’ll leave these right here.”
The point of this tale is that it’s worth trying things out, but if it doesn’t work, you can’t force the fit even if the journey was a huge waste of effort and time. This can apply to many things in life, but for me, it applies to my writing.
