For someone who’s not Roman Catholic and, generally speaking, I have no interest in following any religion, I’m weirdly obsessed by a random encounter with a blue nun because her habit was impressive. Even though it happened years ago, I still occasionally google “blue nun’s habit” trying to find the exact outfit she wore that day. I fail every time. Her nun’s habit was so unique, I can’t find on the internet any example. Almost as if her habit was a custom made costume. The habit was like a combination of real and costume. It did not look cheap like a Halloween costume you’d get at Spirit Halloween and it was not a “sexy nun” either. It appeared well tailored.
The day I encountered the Blue Nun, I was working retail. My back was turned away from her. She asked me for help. I turned towards her, not expecting to come face-to-face with a nun. I almost blurted out “Jesus effing Christ, are you a REAL nun or am I being pranked?” I kept that to myself, thinking I don’t want to be accidently rude to a real nun lest I roast in Hell for all eternity. I don’t believe heaven or hell exists, but I digress.
Now, when I think of nuns, which is not that often, I imagine the iconic black and white habit. I know there’s more than one version of the habit. In my day-to-day life, I rarely see or interact with nuns or priests. She was my first encounter with a nun in the wild. She wore a blue habit unlike any nuns habit I’ve seen before. The color was not the only difference.
The first detail I noticed was the blue color matched my work vest, aka Walmart blue. On the chest area was a white square with a red cross. The sleeves were long, loose, and cuffed. The skirt was A-line, slightly flared. You won’t believe me, but HER WAIST WAS SNATCHED. I’ve never seen a real nun’s habit with a clearly tailored, form-fitting waist. I thought nun habits are billowy and shapeless on purpose to not draw attention to a woman’s body. She looked somewhere between 30-45, attractive, not too young and not too old. On one arm, she carried a woven basket with a lid like Dorothy in THE WIZARD OF OZ. I literally expected a little dog to pop it’s head out of her basket. At this point, my brain must’ve short circuited with questions I was too shy to ask. I don’t remember what help she needed.
My mind was reeling. I wanted to know, is she a real nun? Is she in costume? If it’s a costume, is she an actress? Did she come from the set of a movie or tv production? Is this a prank? Where did she get that specific nun’s habit? How much did her habit cost? Why is the habit blue with a white chest patch and red cross on it? Why is the waist tailored? What is she carrying in the basket? My enquiring mind wanted to know.
TL;DR sometimes nuns literally have unique habits.