Joy in the Journey - Gone on a Purse Diet
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Joy in the Journey is published by Graphic Publications and appears in The Bargain Hunter and Wooster Weekly News each week.
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I have made a change in my life. It may not seem like a big change to some of you. But to those of you who get it, who understand the catastrophic alterations this change involves, you will understand how my life will never be the same.
I have gone on a purse diet.
For a number of years, my purse seems to have gotten bigger and bigger. I think it all began when I became a mom. I got used to toting around a diaper bag, and to stuffing just about everything I needed into the diaper bag. And it could all fit because it was so large and roomy. So for a decade or so, I carried a small-ish size purse with a very large diaper bag on the side, and life was good.
Then, the need for the diaper bag dwindled as my youngest outgrew wearing diapers, needing sippy cups, pull-ups or toys. So like metamorphosis, the diaper bag size seemed to absorb into my purse size, and my purse was suddenly the size of a small Volkswagen Beetle Bug.
It wasn’t a big deal as I have big shoulders. And my theory was that a larger purse surely made my rear end appear to be smaller than it actually was. A definite bonus. And it was handy. I carried my entire makeup bag in my purse, along with a nail file kit, full-size hairbrush, eye glass and sun glass case. All of that on top of perfume, and the typical wallet stuffed to its seams.
Last summer, I bought a neat fabric purse at a beach store in Marblehead. The store owner called it an “overnight bag,” but I didn’t care. It was my purse. Then, last Christmas, I traded up for an even larger purse on clearance at Kohl’s. It was large enough to carry everything I needed plus a laptop computer, and maybe a kitchen sink.
But when the purse strap snapped last week for no reason at all, it forced me to take an honest look at my purse evolution. The reality was that my purse had gotten fat.
So last week, I went on a purse diet. I bought a much, much smaller purse, one that only fits my wallet, eyeglasses and lip gloss, without room for anything else in my life. It has been a struggle. Now I have to plan ahead, get up early enough to put my makeup on at home not rely on last minute solutions stuffed in my purse.
My new, smaller purse is cute. Its soft leather, summer yellow look is almost like carrying a smile on my shoulder. And so far, I have been able to resist stuffing it to its seams.
And though going on a purse diet may not seem like a life altering change to some of you, the rest of you that “get it” will fully understand the catastrophic alterations I have now made in my life. This purse diet thing seems to be working, and it was a whole lot easier than a real diet. I can easily lose twenty pounds of purse weight long before weight off my hips or thighs.
And, the best part is that my new, smaller purse is still big enough to pack a bag of M & M’s, and that makes me smile most of all!
LAST CHANCE to come hear Trish speak at the Image of God Women's Conference July 16-17th in Bay Village; tickets at http://www.imageofgod.org/.
Posted by Trish Berg 5:00 AM
Labels: Graphic Publications Column, Joy in the Journey Column, The Bargain Hunter, Wooster Weekly News
A few weeks ago I bought a new purse. Not just a new one...it was a BIGGER one! I thought that it would be perfect. I was wrong. It just takes me longer to dig through it to get what I need! So Thanks for the blog....I needed some inspiration!
Looks like it's time to downsize.
T