I took the kids to Mass at the parish church last Friday, and they begged me to get a tag off of the giving tree at the front of the church. I reluctantly agreed- reluctant, not because I’m miserly with money, but because I’m miserly with my time, and I know that I tend to overrrrrr optimize and fall into the deep end when shopping for gifts. So here I am tonight, trying to pick out a pink backpack for an eight year old.
Seems simple enough, right? But the same thing happened to me that happens every time I go into a shopping endeavor with an idea in my mind of what I want/need. The dang thing doesn’t exist.
Ok, yes, there are pink backpacks. But I don’t want to get a crappy pink backpack for this kid. I want to get a durable, attractive, fun backpack for her. Something that she will not only be excited to unwrap (shoot, do I need to buy wrapping paper?) but will last a few years for her.
So there are cute pink backpacks that are made of cheese. There are quality/durable pink backpacks that are ok in the looks department, but are for ages 13 and up (I’m pretty sure my back and posture got messed up from carting around a big backpack full of heavy textbooks as a kid-don’t want to give this kid the gift of back problems from a too big backpack). And there are quality/durable backpacks for kids that come in pretty much every color except pink! Woe.
I know this sounds like a complainy-pants post, but I think it’s actually a great opportunity. Almost every time I venture into the internet with a shopping plan, the thing that exists in my mind (and it’s usually a shockingly simple thing or combination of components) does not exist for the buying. Or occasionally it exists, but it’s $200. But more often, it’s not out there. There have got to be other people who are willing, nay eager to throw their money in the direction of a twin size pink cotton quilt with cats on it (not ugly cats!) for their 3 year old, or a well made, pretty, pink backback for an anonymous 8 year old, or etc.
So really, I should just start keeping a list of all the things I want to buy, but don’t exist, make them, and bask in the satisfaction of making all the monies while providing people just like me with the things they want to buy. Because we can’t all be seamstresses. Which is the other option, and maybe I’ll also get working on training 9 year old to do that, so we can come at this thing from 2 angles.
Happy feast of St. Lucy! Which I forgot, because I was a floor potato for the last 2 days, and potatoes are bad at remembering things. It’s the light in the darkness.
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