Shopping can be the perfect therapy
I did something fairly radical recently. I went shopping. Alone!
It started out as most of my store trips do: Errand-oriented. In and out. On to the next chore to tackle.
Wine glasses. Seems like a simple thing, but the minute I walked into the store, I got sidetracked by… everything. Before I knew it, I had the cart filled up, and I had forgotten what I was there for.
There are many, many things one encounters on the way to the kitchen area. I visited them all, realizing with joy that I could savor the unhurried feeling of browsing.
I’m not a retail person. My idea of relaxing is walking on the beach or watching Netflix on my sofa. That’s what I hurry to make time for. But gosh, was I happy to be alone in that store.
My husband would have been nagging me to leave, or quizzing me if I REALLY needed this item- and after all these years, his superpower is the ability to do that by his mere presence.
My daughter would have been bugging me to buy her something, chattering incessantly, or complaining of hunger or thirst. Having her along can be lovely, and I’d rather shop with Olivia than Claus. However, some alone time is nice.
So what was I here for? Think. Think.
Oh yeah. Wine glasses. My husband is a wine snob, and over the years (particularly in the last nine- not a coincidence it coincides with the number of years our child’s been alive) we’ve broken all his fancy Riedels. I called him to give him a few choices.
“No,” he said. “I’ll go buy it myself.” He doesn’t trust my unsophistication, apparently.
“OK, I’ll just keep shopping then,” I replied cheerfully. I had nowhere pressing to be.
This was extremely exciting. (My goodness, my bar is low.)
“OK,” he said back, trying to sound nonchalant, but probably hiding a little anxiety over how much credit card damage I would do when left unchecked. He was not wrong.
One hour and some triple digits later, I left the store. I had no wine glasses, but I did have some house accessories and a lot of things for Olivia – and a very happy demeanor. That was so much fun!
So, money can buy happiness. At least for one of the spouses.
