Thursday, February 17, 2011

bright and shiny things

I went to my favorite store today, where I wandered for hours, lost in the delight of new smells, colors, shapes, textures: a bazaar for the senses and absolute heaven to me.
I touched rubber and plastic, wool and lycra, cotton and carbon and a handful of synthetics I'll never learn the names of.
swirling round me were titanium, aluminum, neoprene and fleece, silk and canvas and fiberglass and steel.
I was tempted by a dancing siren whose invisible presence guided me down one aisle then another, as I looked at puffy down and sleek microfiber and every gadget for every purpose under the sun.
I inhaled and sighed and could have stayed all day, lost in patterns and designs and ideas of where, and how, I could possibly put all of these things to use.

I'd gone there to exchange a present, one that was wonderful but was duplicated by something else hanging in my closet. a kid in a candy store, I was one with not only access but funds burning a hole in my proverbial pocket.
this, or that? something practical, something extravagant? a black thing--like usual--or something wildly pink or neon green? wool or cotton? one of these, or one of those?

sigh.
I love rei.

after wandering and dreaming, scheming and contemplating, minutes having melted more quickly than chocolate in july, I peeled my fingers from the cartons and fibers and smooth, rounded top tubes, and turned my mind to the final decision making.
did I need a this or a that? would I allow myself one of these or those? could I better justify walking out with this sumptuous thing or that practical item?

sometime before the sun set for the day and the moon rose, I left with a bright and shiny new jacket, apple green and white, a zippered pocket on the back, just aching to be worn out in the not-yet-spring-like world surrounding us. it will cheer me, blend beautifully with ruby, and keep away the inevitable downhill rush of cold that I might just choose to experience on a 45 degree february day like tomorrow.

thanks jcb.

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