I've started reading Sloane Crosley's, I Was Told There'd Be Cake, and got to thinking about my own random collections. As kids we all collect stuff. Younger kids collect rocks, Pokemon cards, Barbies, stickers, or in my youngest daughter's case, traffic cones. As humans morph into teens, the collections change into chapstick, music, Magic Cards, trophies, or paraphernalia relating to a certain movie star and movie, in our house, it was Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow and everything related to Pirates.
But as an adult, what sort of odd collections do we tend to accumulate? What would you be a little more than embarrassed to have some family relative come through your home to find? Is it a stash of extra shoelaces? You know how they almost always give you two pairs of laces with shoes now, do you save those, just in case? Maybe, you have a whole drawer in your dresser dedicated to all those extra shoelaces.
I was going to say as I get older, but I don't get older, I am forever 23 in my head. My body needs to get the message, it seems on fast forward, but that is a different story. I have collected different things over the years, but the mainstay always return to purses. They are impulses that I can't seem to quite get a grip on. I go looking for these things. Do I need them? No, most certainly not in 99.9% of the purchases. Will I use them? That is more like a 50-50 thing. Do I want them? Absolutely!
I have purses stashed, under the bed, in the coat closet, in my closet, and in my craft room. There is no way I will possibly use all of them. I have purses that I have never even used, but had to have. I have people giving me purses, I can't possibly say no to, so I smile, take them and say thank you very much. I am not the type of girl who changes her purse for every outing, season, or reason. So, what is my preoccupation with them? I can't honestly say. I just like having them, somehow it makes me feel more feminine, and I like the thrill of the hunt for the best deal.
I love finding a great purse at the consignment store or at Salvation Army for a ridiculously low price. I have found Vera Bradley at Salvation Army for $2.00! It was in immaculate condition, how could I possibly leave it there for someone who might not appreciate it? I HAD to have it! The softness, the pockets, Oh My! And then there was the bright red Coach bag at the consignment store for $20. An unused Coach bag, tag inside and everything for $20! The leather was so soft, the pockets and pouches and shiny metal. I don't typically pay that much for a purse, but this was a Coach, so I made an exception, and justified with making the Dean's list on my first semester back to school after a 20 year hiatus.
I love to come home with my new found purse, and strut my stuff to my family. Who laugh at me, shake their heads and ask what I am going to do with all the other ones I have stashed around the house. I pretend I don't hear them. Instead, I clean out the old purse, and begin cherishing the new one, organizing my belongings.and leaving the old one on the dining room table for a day or two before trying to find a space for my old friend. I can't give it away, it has served me well. We have shared many experiences, found many a great deals. The likelihood of me retrieving it for use in the future? Well, um, uh...
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