theNoosphere.com

The other day I went out and bought my first real cold-weather running shirt. It’s made of the latest synthetic material. It blocks the wind the cold and the rain, and doesn’t get wet and sticky when you sweat. It’s got special holes in the sleeves so you can hook your thumbs in them and keep your hands warm. It’s quite a spectacular piece of clothing.

I bought this dazzling new attire because I needed a replacement. My current running shirt, my old volleyball shirt, was starting to fall apart. It had served me well over the years, proudly announcing my name and my number to opposing teams since the early 90s when I was young and still had what some might actually consider a vertical leap. It had been with me for many battles over the past two decades, and willingly came out of retirement a few months ago to keep me warm as I foolishly attempted to try a new sport, braving the freezing cold and three washes a week at a time when most shirts would expect to be signed and...