The Shopping Experience

I am not a shopper.  I confess.  I go into a store to buy what I want and then I leave.  I don't really understand the concept of browsing through acres and acres of clothing or much of anything else.  I will, however, shop for particular "items" in thrift stores to enable me to "create" something else.

But, having been the owner of two stores for the last few years, I have had to change my thinking.  People like bargains.  Bargains.  What is a bargain exactly?  Is it cheap?  Or readily available?  Why

Gerry's Shoe Repair

do you buy it?  Do you need it?  All things I have had to think about being on the "other end" of the retail line.

Not too long ago we participated in Small Business Saturday.  It is a great idea.  I am not real sure it has fully caught on yet however.  But if you take into consideration just what shopping at a small

Southside Market

business does, you may change you mind about dropping your wad at a box store.

Yes, if you shop locally, you are supporting someone within our community.  Do you want to run down the street and get milk, or nuts and bolts, or a quick snack?   If you don't shop in town, you will end up with no place in town to shop.  It is kind of the "you scratch my back and I will scratch yours" concept.  I support them, and they, in turn, support someone else in the area, who may shop in my store at some point.  What goes around, comes around.  But what is important is that we are all involved in the retail trade that builds up the community.

I am ever so aware of this at The Calico Cupboard.  As a consignment store we offer a venue for our

The Calico Cupboard

local artists and crafters to sell their wares.  So when you purchase from us, you not only help to pay our bills, you are supporting any number of others within our community.  These are individuals who would have no other way to showcase their items.  Besides which, you will have purchased a unique, one of a kind item.

And the donations made and money spent at Twelve Baskets Thriftique stays right here in our little community. Your purchases support the library, food bank, fire department, senior center, scholarships, and numerous other entities that, in turn, are there to help you in a number of ways.  They provide you with services, food, education, aid in emergencies.  See how it all works.  It is never just one person who does anything.  Each of you is part of a much larger picture.  You may not see your purchase as helping your neighbor, but it is!

Corner Market

So as you head into the new year, consider your community when you head off on a shopping spree.

Hometown Hardware

  You are part of the whole.  Without each and every one of you, the community is either bolstered or it is deprived.  Yes, you can undoubtedly get things cheaper in department stores.  But can you get someone who calls you by name, knows your family, offers you a cup of coffee and a time to chat, who listens to your problems and rejoices in your successes.   What is all of that worth?  Can you even put a price on it?  I doubt it.

Just writin' on the River Road

Memories

Memories.  Memories are strange things.  Depending on what they are, they can be wonderful and treasured, but no matter the memory, they often can't be fully shared with other people.  No matter how hard I try, I can't truly convey exactly what happened to me.  I can't share the experience completely because you weren't there.  And even if you were there, we would probably see and experience the same thing in a different way.

I recently took a vacation.  The first real vacation I think I have ever taken.  Oh, we took trips to see family every year, but for me that was not a vacation.  For me a vacation is doing something that you want to do, seeing and experiencing something new, learning and growing, relaxing, enjoying

yourself, and maybe doing absolutely nothing but absorbing the very presence of God.

I did this.  For a week, I walked the beaches of the barrier islands in North Carolina.  It was cool, sometimes windy, even rained once, but I walked none the less.  I filled my pockets with shells, took off my shoes and waded in the surf, sifted the grainy sand between my toes, felt the water sneak up and catch my pants and suddenly I was wet to the knees.  I watched the dolphins jump and play, saw fishing trawlers with the catch of the day, and I strolled on the pier.  The Sandpipers were busy

chasing the bubbles left by tiny edible critters just below the surface, the gulls darted after snacks thrown their way. The crashing of the waves against the beach, those unending waves that seem to race one another to get to the shore, to me it was all new and fascinating.  The ebb and flow of the tides, the deer that crossed my path, even the handful of people with whom I had to share "my" beach, it all created a memory that will stay in my mind for a long time.  In it all, I felt the overwhelming peace of God, the joy of life, and the incredible wonder of creation.  I can tell you all these things, but I really can't completely share them with you.  There were too many minutes, too many waves, too many sunsets.  The memories will be mine, and while you may get a glimpse, you will never see the whole picture as I saw it.

And those other memories.  The memories of time spent with old friends, making new friends, or talking to "world travelers" made me realize how very small my world is.  My "old" friends have been a part of my life for almost 50 years.  We don't see each other often because they live in Israel.  So this was a special treat.  We picked up where we left off the last time we saw each other and had some great visits.  I met new friends, also from Israel.  I celebrated Shabbat, I ate new foods, and I was literally "lost in the translation" of numerous languages spoken at the dinner table.  I met people from South Africa and Ireland.  We discussed everything: religion, politics, faith, history . . . life in

its fullest.  To say it was wild would be a total understatement.  I literally felt like I had experienced those parts of the world first hand.  I learned about England, India, Spain and Poland, even about the Appalachian Mountains in my own country.  One of my host's father worked for Prince Charles.  It was always a stimulating conversation.  My questions, their questions: so much to learn.  Memories.  I still think about those conversations and probably will for my lifetime.

And, and I gained a new confidence.  Never having navigated large airports, I had to change planes in Atlanta.  My new mantra became "ASK".  People are ever so willing to help you.  After walking a hundred miles, I pulled up my bootstraps and got on the train.  So easy.  Why did it feel so daunting before I tried it?  Am I too old for some new tricks?  Evidently there is still some ability in the old dog to learn.....thank you Lord!  And let's do this again!

Just writin' on the River Road

Holiday Time

I used to love the holidays.  That was before. . . before I became a business owner and learned about marketing.  I was so hard on retail outlets who began putting up Christmas decorations in September.  I am now beginning to understand their rational.  So by the time Christmas actually rolls around, I am so tired of Christmas that I could care less about shopping, or decorating,  or much else "holiday-ish".

It is interesting how our priorities change over time.  I have become my mother!  I used to get on her case because she didn't put up a tree.  Now I think I get it.  It isn't putting up all the stuff that is a problem, it is taking it all down and putting it away.  And she never wanted any gifts.  I get that now too.  There isn't anything I need at this point in life.  Right now I should be radically downsizing!   And I don't think I am the only one.

I saw a blip on Facebook recently that said something to the effect that once the grandparents pass away, the family dynamic for holiday celebrations change.  I can see that happening within our family. My in-laws had specific traditions that came from the "old country" which made up their Christmas celebration.  Now that Grandma and Grandpa are gone, the traditions are changing because the grand and great grand children don't have that memory to draw them back.  Christmas Eve has moved to Christmas morning.  Traditional foods have changed to things that the younger generation likes, even the gift exchange has changed.  We now do "white elephant gifts" and "ugly sweater

Making memories.  A sleigh ride in the mountains.

contests".  Gone is the traditional reading of the Christmas Story, the Christmas Eve church services, and so on.  It feels sad sometimes, but life plows on even if I drag my feet.  Real trees have been exchanged for fake, Santa has replaced Jesus.  We now have light parades rather than cruising the streets to view the lights.  Not everything "new" is bad, but hopefully we can retain some of the old traditions too.

So what can we do?  First, I don't think we need to adopt every new fad that comes out.  I don't need a pink tree to match my décor.  Or an outlandish gift for everyone.  Secondly, I think we can let go of a few things but still retain the meaning of the holiday.  As the "older" generation, we should set a standard of what is important and what is not.  The relationships, the memories, the joy are important.  The amount of gifts or money spent is not!  I love to make memories.  We need more of those special times that we share, laugh, tease, and are just silly!

So as you enter this season, this holiday time, remember what is important.  Build relationships, establish traditions, enjoy your friends and family, laugh, and remember who is the center of the holiday.  Christ.  Without his birth, we would celebrate nothing.  Remember.

Just writin' on the River Road