This morning (Saturday) I went down to the bank and purchased $200 worth of paper Series I bonds. Even though I've been doing a good job of saving lately, the amount of this investment is less than I would have liked. That's because I'm anticipating higher expenses for the month, as yesterday the company I work for tasked me with buying a business suit for an important upcoming meeting.

Believe it or not, I've never actually owned, or even worn, a suit before. Though I wear dress shirts on an almost daily basis, I typically roll up the sleeves within minutes of buttoning my shirt, and it's been so long since I've worn a tie that I've forgotten how to tie one.

And so, this week I'll set out to buy my first suit. I'm planning to look at one of the men's clothing stores in downtown Chicago, in search of a suit that fits both my frame and my budget.

Only three years ago, I could scarcely afford the cost of a new pair of jeans, and would stay up late stitching patches to repair the burns received from hot sparks of steel that sprayed upon me as I welded. Now I'm a position to enlist the help of a professional tailor.

Aside from this, I'm still a man working hard to accomplish his goals—that part hasn't changed. And while it's been said that clothes make the man, I believe that men are made by actions, not appearances. The strength of a warrior is found not in the breadth of his arm, but in the depth of his heart.