Seminarian Collar

I've been thinking a lot about the seminarian collar. I've gotten used to wearing it now, and I may even be starting to like it. I'm not sure how I feel about that. One seminarian friend thinks that seminarian collars are "just stupid." He doesn't like the racing stripe. One seminarian friend thinks it feels like training wheels. Another says it seems deceptive. My argument against wearing it has been that it feels deceptive, like I'm claiming ordination without being ordained. People are definitely noticing it in the grocery store, particularly the employees. They're asking what church I'm affiliated with and wanting to know what I think about various things. All I'm thinking about is what brand of apples I want or whether to get ham or turkey at the deli counter.

I think, though, that my clergy shirt and racing stripe collar are starting to feel like my Sunday uniform. I'm getting used to them, and they feel right somehow. So much so that I've been debating whether to take them on my trip for my Sundays in GA and VA even though nobody there has ever heard of a seminarian collar. It's hard for me to imagine considering such a thing since I was so opposed to wearing it even at field ed. But it's been jumping around in my mind and I can't quite seem to let go of it. Clearly I'm wrestling with what it says about my identity. It's not that I think I need it to lend some kind of authority, it just seems to fit. I guess that's a good thing since I was worried about whether I would be able to stand wearing one at all. All these years of wearing turtle necks in the winter have been good practice.