I have never understood why people shop when they are stressed. The whole idea of spending money I don't have to make me less sad has never appealed to me. But today, I finally understand what retail therapy is all about.
I have been sad for several weeks and getting sadder by the day. This will pass I know. I even know why it is happening. Jackie left this earth to be with Jesus exactly 373 days ago. Every single one of the last 400 days has been hard. (I saw her for the last time on December 17, 2012.) The grief became easier to bear after a while but has done a complete u-turn and slapped me in the face for the last 34 days. Today was the hardest yet. I know it will ebb and flow as time goes on. Right now, though, I feel as if I am drowning in sorrow.
So, back to the idea of retail therapy... Miracle applied for a job at Buckle today. We expect she will be hired. So, in preparation for the "dress code" we went to Goodwill and scoured the racks for Buckle brand clothing. She spent $26 on 1 pair of jeans and 4 shirts. I spent $5 on 2 pair of jeans and 3 shirts for her. It felt really good to get the clothes home and search on the Internet for their retail prices and know we got them for a steal! And in that moment I wasn't consumed with the grief that is threatening to swallow me whole.(#33) So I get it. I finally understand the benefits of retail therapy - even if I still don't understand spending money you don't have to buy something you don't need. :)
