Retail therapy, an observation and a shopping mitzvah

Retail Therapy
After spending the morning helping my dad winterize their front porch and an afternoon with my friend and her baby, I thought I would do a little shopping.

I've had little time to myself lately, and I didn't realize how much miss being solitary in a crowd. Of course it's fun to shop with friends, but sometimes I like being out there alone - no one to tell me I'm moving too fast or too slow. I'm enough of an extrovert that I can (and do) ask those around me for a second opinion re: fit or color... people love to share their opinions, all you have to do is ask.

An afternoon like to today is less about acquiring goods and more about getting reacquainted with myself - my changing body, my changing style, my changing outlook on life and how my external appearance signals those things to the world.

So therapy in a sense that I got the spend the day with me - and that's good.

Another change I've noticed since being on the Adderall is that I'm less likely to buy just to buy. In general, it's curbed my need to consume for consumption's sake - I'm less compulsive and more thoughtful about what I let come into contact with my person.

An Observation
As a professional, I'm trying to curate a style for myself: quirky, classic, flattering... Can I say, I'm not entirely sure if I love or hate the last 5 years of ruffles. I find them endearing and charming in concept, but 50% of the time, they come off as cloying and precious.

I tried on about 30 things at Banana Republic and - my god - the puffed sleeves and the pleats and ruffles were EVERYWHERE. I tried them, just to see. I even think a few worked. But for the most part, I felt as though I had stumbled into a 1930s maternity clothing shop. I remember being in Anthropologie 4 years ago and making a half-hearted joke about the great ruffle war of aught four. Come on - seriously?

But I get it. I see ruffles and I think "oooo - charming..." *sigh*

J. Crew - same damn thing - are they infantilizing women with this?
Is smocking next?

A shopping mitzvah
Ok, so "mitzvah" might be too strong a word for what happened, but I love it when people reach out for no good reason other than to be nice.

BR has a partnership with Goodwill where you bring in a used sweater in good condition and get 30% off a full priced items.

Tangent: LOVE these kinds of partnerships. Love them. They're helpful- they're real - they're creative. There's no "What percentage of your profits are actually going to the nonprofit?" question. You give away the sweater you were going to give away anyway, you get an immediate and measurable result and you suddenly feel that psychic glow around your experience with the corporation that you will remember - meaning you will probably come back.

Anyway, I had no idea this was going on, the trip was unplanned and on my way home. So I got in line and was chatting with the sales guy and he's telling me to come back before the 26th... and the woman behind me taps me on the shoulder and says "You forgot your sweater? Here, I brought an extra..." And then WE start chatting about the whole nonprofit/corporate partnership thing which is exciting and energetic AND I walked away having saved $75.

I'm doing alot for family and work these days, and sometimes I wonder if my efforts are being noticed by the universe-at-large. I don't do it to get something back, but it's nice to feel rewarded.

Today, I got exactly what I needed.

Sure, it was just 30% off some clothes, but it was an unnecessary kindness that put me in a good mood for the rest of the day.