Tag: Mindfullness

I had a doctor’s appointment in March that was actually right here in town, which is not normally the case.  A new Nordstrom Rack had opened right across the street from my doctor’s office many months ago.  I had gotten very excited because I usually only get to the Rack that is 50 miles away once a year, even when I am relatively healthy.  But I am not normally in the part of town with the new Rack, and for many months I had been too ill to either add it onto a doctor’s appointment or to make a special trip just for the purpose of going to the store.

But that day in March I was feeling pretty good, so after I had seen my doctor, I went back to my car, ate a snack, and then headed across the street.  I was on a mission to look at purses.  Now, first let me say that I love purses.  Especially nice purses.   I buy maybe one a year.  But I hardly ever pay full price, and certainly never pay full price if the purse is expensive.  Secondly, let me explain my method of looking at purses at Nordstrom Rack.  I go to the purse section and walk through.  Usually, but not always, pretty quickly. If a purse jumps out at me, I stop and take a closer look.  If nothing reaches out and grabs me, I just keep on walkin’.

So in March I was walkin’ at a moderate speed, and sure enough, one purse kinda yelled, “Hey, hey, look at meeeee!”  So I did.  And the purse was perfect.  I fall for beautiful, but slightly unusual purses, and this one had it all.  The leather was worked in a very unusual design and texture and was also very light weight. The color was perfect, and the size was large enough that I could fit my netbook in when I needed to.  And the best part?  It was originally a $200 purse marked down to $100.  And…… drum roll to accompany my glee, please…… I had accumulated 40 Nordstrom points over many months.  That equals $40.  So I got the purse for only $60!

But here’s the simple pleasure part:  I am taking such delight in everything about the purse.  Every time I pick it up, I marvel at how light it is.  I reach down while I am carrying it, and run my hand over the outside and notice again how beautiful it feels.  I will sit there and just stare at the perfect amethyst color.  I put things in and take them out, just so I can see again that it can hold a little bit of stuff or a lot.  I double check that my netbook fits, and re-discover that it fits with room to spare.  I even like the way the zippers work; they have pull tabs that are easy to grasp, and the zipper glides along without a hitch.   I sometimes just open the purse and look inside because I love the beautiful leopard print lining.

Yes, I know, this is partly my OCD, and also partly because I don’t get out much.  But it is also the new habit of mindfulness that I have learned in the Kaiser Mind Body class.  It is taking just those few extra seconds to notice something beautiful.  Oh, and maybe the coolest part?  As I got on an elevator two days after I bought it, a woman said, “That is an AWESOME purse.”  How great is that?  And I have been using it almost every day since.