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“It’s All About Being Versatile, Brother,” I’d Tell My Younger Self

I used to dress for the room, now I dress for the day

4 min readMay 29, 2026

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When you get older, one thing starts to matter more than almost anything else.

Time.

It’s no secret that time seems to speed up as we age. Days feel shorter. Summers become thinner.

And because time seems to move faster, wasting time starts to feel like the only real mistake.

The time it takes to find your shoes.

The time it takes to tie your shoes.

We’re strange creatures.

What Once Was

The time spent changing clothes when one part of the day calls for a “jacket and tie,” another for “business casual,” and later for an outfit that says, “I am relaxed but still professionally appropriate.”

For much of my life, I willingly changed clothes several times a day.

When I started my career, I wore a suit to work. When I came home, I changed into something more casual. Then, when I knew I was staying home, I changed into something even more comfortable.

At the time, this felt completely normal. I enjoyed changing clothes and dressing smartly for the occasion.

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Erik P.M. Vermeulen, PhD
Erik P.M. Vermeulen, PhD

Written by Erik P.M. Vermeulen, PhD

A storyteller from a forgotten generation. Less interested in going viral than in writing something worth remembering.