A shirt and smile

COEUR d’ALENE — Residents at Affinity at Coeur d’Alene want to know what Lynn Tilley is wearing every day.

It usually makes them laugh. At least smile. Maybe just feel a little better.

Which is what Tilley wants.

“If I'm wearing my sweat jacket, one of the guys will say, ‘Show me your chest.’ I mean, it's just fun. It's all for fun,” Tilley said, smiling.

It’s all about the T-shirts.

Tilley has long been collecting and wearing them to amuse, delight, inspire and perhaps even provoke, depending on your politics.

Her shirt stash stands at 181 and it’s growing. Some she hasn’t even worn. She has them in all colors and for all seasons and situations. Christmas and Halloween. St. Patrick’s Day. Fourth of July. Some are patriotic with flags and crosses.

Some take shots at seniors.

“You know you're getting old when Happy Hour is a Nap,” one says.

Others are at the expense of the reader:

"Penny for your thoughts seems a little pricey."

And even herself:

"That idea sounds stupid ... when do we start?"

It’s her way of making the world, at least her friends, a little lighter.

Happy is a good word for Tilley, and one that's on many of her shirts.

“They do get a laugh out of them,” she said. "Every day, that's all I ever wear. You get some good response."

She is described as upbeat, positive and even a “party animal.”

"People look forward to seeing what she’s got on," said friend Dorothy Voshall.

“She keeps this place going,” said Lewanna Dorman.

Tilley buys shirts in stores and online, in gift shops on her travels, wherever she sees one that meets her mission statement.

Most cost a few dollars. Some run about $25.

“I have paid a pretty penny for a few," she said.

A sound investment, as laughter is the best medicine, she says.

“Anything you do to make some of these guys laugh, that's the whole point of the day," Tilley said.

So where does she keep nearly 200 shirts?

Some of her collection goes in plastic tubs under her bed. The rest go in the closest.

She has no clear favorite.

“This one I always liked,” she said, pulling one out that depicts the Sesame Street crew. The shirt says, “Everything I know, I learned on the streets.”

Others she likes:

“The leprechaun made me do it.”

"Nice until proven naughty."

“If I don’t remember, it didn’t happen.”

“Zombies eat brains. Don’t worry, you’re safe.”

There’s one with a picture of former President Donald Trump that says, “Do you miss me yet?"

She laughs at that one, hopes she's not making any Democrats mad, and insists, "It’s all a ball."

She rotates her shirts and wears each one at least once a year. She'll decide each morning which one.

Asked which shirt she'll wear this morning, Tilley said, "I don't know. It depends on what mood I’m in."

You can bet it will be good. And she'll be wearing the shirt to prove it.

Friends are counting on her.

"I get my quote or my laugh for the day from her," said Barbara Brill.

”