Ani DiFranco’s album Not So Soft contains a song called Looking For The Holes.
“I am looking for the holes
the holes in your jeans
because I want to know
are they worn out in the seat
or are they worn out in the knees?”
I remember first hearing it, and wondering what this telltale sign said about me. My jeans always wore out in the bum. Specifically, a massive wide gash in the left bum cheek. This had been true since school, where I used to ‘repair’ the damage with safety pins.
As my life has changed from the sedentary workaday drudgery of my twenties to this new life chasing my toddler around, playing, exploring, the story told by my jeans has changed too. The knees wear through, while the seat remains intact.