Day 7: Retail Therapy?

March Madness is right! It had only been 9 days into March and I was already SO overwhelmed by the race to Spring Break. Between observations and professional development assignments at work, projects and case studies for grad school, finding time to do my taxes, plan for tutoring, and make arrangements for vacation, my world was literally a kaleidoscope of TO DOs whirling around me. So, what's the one thing I knew would slow everything down for an afternoon?

Retail therapy. 

Off my mom and I went to the outlets. The sun was shining, there was a slight breeze; Mother Nature had given us a perfect afternoon. We weaved into one store and out another, gaining pounds of baggage as we went (forget about therapy, this was turning into a serious cardio and strength training session!) With every blouse I picked up I imagined myself wearing it in the spring, when the tulips start blooming, the grass is green and plush, and the whole world has that smell of morning dew. These thoughts pushed out those "right now" stressers and allowed me to focus on the cheery future that is to come. I might as well have been sitting on a couch, because this sure was therapeutic. 

But then...

The crowds grew. Suddenly, there was no time to look at an article of clothing and daydream. I was pushed into racks of clothing to let people pass me before I could even take a shirt off of that rack. Forget about looking at accessories- unless you didn't mind that someone was constantly looking over your shoulder to see what else that table had to offer. There's no time to browse the impulse buys when the woman behind you is demanding you, "Go!" every time the line moves up 3 inches. Even getting an iced tea turned into a 20 minute experience, with people cowering at you to make sure you don't cut them in line. What happened to my serene shopping Saturday? 

At this point, I needed therapy for my therapy. Retail was stressing me out. It was time to go. 

At home, in the tranquility of my own house, I was able to decompress from the tail end of my day. I unpacked my bags, and, once again, started to imagine cool spring mornings that turn into warm afternoons. Ahh, this was sweet...