The Bag Hag: The Eternal Search for the Perfect Bag
The Bag Hag: The Eternal Search for the Perfect Bag
I have been searching for the perfect purse. And I have standards, too. It must zipper and a zippered pocket on the inside. It must have a long shoulder strap. It must be large enough to hold essentials which, in my case, includes the ability to haul around a paperback novel. And it’s gotta look good.
I don’t mind if it looks a little funky but I do have to be able to carry it to work and professional meetings and not feel like a dork.
You wouldn’t think it would be that hard, would you. A
nd I’ve even learned to adapt. I’ve moved to smaller purses. I tried short straps and that did NOT work. Note to self: don’t do that again.
nd I’ve even learned to adapt. I’ve moved to smaller purses. I tried short straps and that did NOT work. Note to self: don’t do that again.I work in a profession of bag ladies too. I got to library and academic conferences and they hand us our materials in a bag. Tote bags, messenger bags, gym bags, back packs (no! not a bag), and little bags. A couple of years ago a newly graduated librarian came back from her first academic conference and said to me in awed, hushed tones, “I even got a bag.”
I told her that over time she would get many bags and that she would become more discerning about the bags. Do they have zippers? Do they have a lot of pockets? Are the logos tasteful? I told her the best bag from a conference was one my sister got. It was green with a long strap, a zipper, and best of all–it was waterproof. This young librarian didn’t exactly roll her eyes, but she did skeedaddle out of my office pretty fast. She got another job in less than a year, not in the library profession.
I guess she bagged the librarian gig [all puns are intended]
Recently I learned another rule. Never take a man, especially an engineer, shopping with you when you are looking for the perfect purse. He actually thinks he can solve the problem. Mouse and I went shopping and I was mourning the purse whose long, lovely strap had broken beyond repair. We were at a department store and all the straps on all the purses were short. They were perfect other than that (yeah, right!)
Mouse decided he could fix it, so we searched all over the store for straps to replace the short ones. Camping supplies–nothing. Hunting supplies…rifle carrier straps were a possibility but not entirely functional. He ended up finding a guitar strap. When I picked up a purse to see if the strap would work, my lip curled in disgust. “It won’t be pretty, will it?” said Mouse.
No it won’t. I bought the purse but not the strap. Thinking I can make a strap out of some fabric. Will I do it. Maybe. Will the purse be perfect? No. After carrying it for a week, it’s okay but I already know it’s not perfect.
I remind myself, it’s the journey not the purse.
The Rowdy Goddess 