I was reading a recent interview of author Jancee Dunn (her memoir is hilarious if you aren’t familiar!) and though I cannot for the life of me remember where I read the article, one item lodged itself in my mind. Ms. Dunn shared some bits of advice that her father had imparted to her since childhood and one of them was “always carry a handkerchief.”
The handkerchief was supposedly ‘invented’ by King Richard II of England when he used a square of cloth to wipe his nose. My Pe-pa (a southern grandfather) has carried them my entire life. I even have a handkerchief that he once gave me, tucked away in my nightstand. I can think of so many times that I have had a need for one, but instead was forced to scramble for a scrap of paper towel or piece of toilet paper. Besides the traditional use, a handkerchief could come in quite handy as a makeshift bandage, place to wrap up a leftover or two, an ice pack, a headband, or a white flag of surrender. Granted, don’t put your food where you blew your nose, but you get my drift.
{Surely we should all learn from the mistakes of that famed southern belle}
I think I’ve decided to embrace this tradition. There are so many lovely styles you can carry that would definitely be considered a fashionable accessory. Of course classic linen will do fine too. Etsy has a plethora of cute hankies with the option of personalization. What about y’all? Maybe you already keep a hanky handy at all times? If so, is it trimmed out in fancy embroidery or just plain white? If you don’t carry a handkerchief, are you thinking about it?
