Life in Hats

Cameron Harding
Sep 4, 2018 · 4 min read

Bike Helmet — Bicycle helmets have been in widespread use for nearly 50 years and saved countless lives since then. I personally began using a bicycle helmet as soon as I could walk. As a young child I had a strong tendency to randomly fall over as well as I often walked into things head first. I was a boulder and if my parents hadn’t taken precautions I probably would have had permanent brain damage before my first day of kindergarten. My parents idea was a bike helmet and it was quite fitting; despite making me even more top heavy and likely to fall, it was able to protect me from most things. Whenever I wasn’t receiving direct adult supervision you could find me with a bicycle helmet on for my own safety. The helmet phase didn’t even last a full year; yet when I attempt to remember as far back as a I can I immediately conjure a picture, I must have seen from my parents, of myself standing in the living room in my little bike helmet. As I got older I changed my bike helmet many times(including a small skating phase where I had a stickered up skating helmet), but the helmet in this picture is my current helmet and my grandpa’s old one. This helmet is remarkably similar to the one I wore when I was young and it belonged to my late grandfather so it really means a lot to me.

Bucket Hat — The bucket hat is easily my favorite type of hat and the one I wear the most. The bucket hat originates from Israel in the 1940’s where it was designed to protect the necks of Israeli men who worked outdoors. Bucket hats have since then become globally popular and are worn everywhere by all types of people and for all types of reasons. Bucket hats for me began at the start of my freshman year because me and my friend had matching ones; but the more I wore it the more I began to realize how much more than a hat it was. Bucket hats are like a cloak of sorts that you can hide behind yet also use to show who you are. For example my sister does gymnastics with a few girls from casa who I have never met, but when she asked them if they knew me they said no. The next class she showed them a picture of me and they immediately recognized me as the kid who wore bucket hats. They said this because I really do wear them a lot and they have become a part of who I am in this crucial stage of my development. I do not know how long I will be wearing bucket hats or if I will even wear them consistently throughout this year, but up until this point they have been an iconic symbol that I can use to represent me.

Driver Cap — The driver cap is one of the oldest and most worn hats, dating back centuries, these iconic hats were once very popular all over Europe, especially in England. As many Europeans immigrated to the United States they brought their hats with them; however, this once common hat has turned into an oddity worn by grandpas and golfers. The driver cap is very special to me because it is one of the things I remember most about my grandpa. Right before he passed away during my freshman summer he gave me two of these hats.Though I do not wear them too often now; I can’t imagine a retirement without one. Whenever I think about my future and when considering myself at age 80 for this assignment, the first thing I think about is myself wearing a driver hat, a sweater, and khakis. Hats have always been a large part of my life, and not because I always got bad haircuts, but because there is something about the comfort and anonymity that a hat can give you. I am who I am today because of hats, especially ones important to me like the driver cap, the bike helmet, and the bucket hat. Even if the type of hats change hats in general will remain a core part of me until I die.

This song means a lot to me so I just thought I would put it here.
Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade