Pitt junior Joe Smith decided to challenge himself Tuesday and put on something other than his pajamas for the first time in three weeks. Smith was running dangerously low on his quarantine snacks and knew it was time to venture outside.

“I woke up that morning, climbed out of bed and thought to myself, ‘Today’s the day.’ I’ve been thinking about putting on jeans for a few days now, but couldn’t find the proper motivation,” Smith said. “Yesterday I made the transition from pajama pants to sweatpants to ease myself into it.”

Smith said putting on actual clothes was a rough experience. 

“It was really difficult,” Smith said. “I’m used to getting up and wearing comfy clothes all day. But I knew it was now or never. I had to put on jeans to get groceries. Last week I went to Giant Eagle in my pajamas and got some pretty odd looks.”

Smith knew it was a big step, but it needed to be done.

“Definitely took me out of my comfort zone,” Smith said. “I wasn’t sure if I could do it, but I felt like I had to do my part by getting dressed.”

The cashier who rang up Smith’s groceries, Jenny McDonald of Squirrel Hill, said she was slightly concerned by the amount of snacks this man bought.

“Originally I thought he was having some sort of party. I reminded him that social distancing protocols were in place,” McDonald said. “But as our eyes met, I instantly understood he meant to consume them all himself.”

McDonald said she remembered Smith coming in the week before in his pajamas.

“Yeah, I knew he looked familiar. A man came in last Wednesday in Superman pajamas and wiped out our entire shelf of Klondike bars,” McDonald said. 

Smith has big plans for the future. He plans to attend one of his Zoom classes and actually turn the camera on. 

“I feel really proud of myself. It just feels good to know I’m getting out there. This might just be a turning point for me. I’ve been setting a lot of demanding goals. Next week, I think I might push myself and only wear a hoodie one day,” Smith said.