Wishful Shopping

Have you ever bought something for a life you wished you lived? Maybe you were on vacation in, say, San Francisco visiting your BFF and you bought two of the cutest little cropped jackets. Maybe one was denim. Maybe the other was a khaki DKNY number. Maybe neither one of these babies is at all appropriate for the climate in Toronto, where you actually live (when you're not shopping as though you don't). Or, perhaps you were walking by a store, innocently, just on your way to get a coffee maybe, when you glimpse a snazzy pair of emerald green slingbacks in the window, which just happen to be on sale. Whammo! Next thing you know, you're skipping down the street, bag in hand with a gleefully joyous smile on your face. Until you wear them out for drinks that night. And your toes are covered in blisters and you can't feel anything south of your metatarsals. And there's the rub (ouch! sorry, that was terrible): you don't live in California, you live in a city with actual seasons (though, some are longer than others, yes, Winter, I am talking about you, you Evil Sorceress!) and you walk pretty much everywhere you go.

My emerald slingbacks, hardly worn

Mr. Darling and I don't have a car. We belong to a car share (Autoshare), which I absolutely love! We don't have to worry about maintenance, parking or insurance, just whether or not the car around the corner is available when we want it and where we put the skeleton key. Also I am a bit of a greenie. I feel strongly about the size of my planetary footprint. So, why, then do I have a closet full of shoes I can't walk five blocks in? Ok, I am exaggerating for emphasis here. Believe you me, I can walk to dinner with the girls in high heels. But the real question is; can I walk home?

As you certainly know by now... many, many questions have come up for A and I during this crazy, nuts, bananas experiment, most of which I feel that I may not have the answers to until I have time to reflect on the project as a whole. But this particular question I think I may have a handle on. Pre-Fashion Rehab, I sometimes shopped this way because it made me feel, even for a few minutes, like my life was easier, more fun and less stressful. How much simpler is it to get dressed when you don't have to check the temperature first? And how much more brilliant would life be if you could wear your amazing four-inch heels on a regular basis because at the end of long day (or night), instead of standing waiting for the streetcar, or worse, walking, you knew you'd be sitting down, even if it is to drive yourself home? Not having to think about these things, to plan for the weather or the distance is a kind of pure luxury.

Hopefully, in the future, I'll quit shopping for a life I don't live. Hopefully, in the future, I'll be a hell of a lot smarter about shopping for the life I do.

Either way, if I manage to survive this challenge, all I've learned so far will be a luxury indeed.

Love, P