Monday, May 20, 2013

Hey, Look! I'm a Flower Girl


The Flower Girl

You know how sometimes you get a gift and it’s exactly what you didn’t know you wanted? Well, that happened to me this past week.

First, I should probably set the stage by telling you that I am a human raffle repellent. In thirty-plus years of being in various positions to possibly win something (anything) by having my name/ticket/whatever drawn, I never ever win, and nor do the people on either side of me. I magically repel whatever electrons are involved in random chance. It’s a scientific fact.

Anyway, a couple of weeks ago, I left a comment on the fabulous Jeannie Moon’s blog (her debut launches this week, so totes click through and check her out!), discussing how much I adore hot pink zebra duct tape. (Incidentally, I received my first roll as part of a zombiepocalypse-survival-kit-style wedding present. I found this hilarious.) Imagine my surprise when Jeannie emailed me to say that I had won a wristlet! I wasn’t really sure what a wristlet might be, but who cared? I won something!

I decided to invest in some Powerball tickets, thinking this had to be a sign that my luck had changed for the better. Then I got busy and forgot to buy those tickets. In fact, I forgot about having won the blog prize, too, until it showed up the other day. With Arizona watching over my shoulder, I dug into the box, with its pretty tissue paper, handwritten note and tasteful promo items (thinking I should really up my own giveaway game from 'signed book in a mailing envelope'), and saying, “That’s right! I won a … something.”

I pulled it out. And I was charmed.

It was a Vera Bradley wallet-clutch-thingie (I guess that’s what ‘wristlet’ means?) made of quilted cloth with pretty flowers on it. And I, who have used the same brown leather Coach wallet since the late 90s, immediately transferred my entire life into this new cuteness.

Now, in a related story, I’ve been sneaking up on the idea of a new purse lately. This is a Big Deal for me, as I’ve had exactly three, all Coach, since my thirteenth birthday when my aunt gave me my first. (She was a Secret Service Agent—one of the first female agents, in fact—and it was too small for her Glock.) These things are heavy duty, look good when they’re beat up, and last forever.

I’ve been stalling on the new bag, though, because … well, I didn’t know why. At first it was because they’re not cheap and the old one really doesn’t look that bad. Then I made a deal with myself: lose ten pounds, and you can have the bag. (Yeah, that didn't happen.) Or finish the new manuscript ahead of deadline. (Ditto.) But as I looked at my new wallet-thingie, I got to thinking that maybe it wasn’t the cost. Maybe I’m just not a black leather girl anymore. Maybe these days, I’m soft cotton and flowers.



Me in my black leather phase, circa 2006.




Me today (well, last summer, but close enough).

One of the many things I love about writing the Mustang Ridge books is the idea of metamorphosis. Whether it's a busy surgeon who spends a week at the ranch and learns that its time for him to make room for love, or the ranch’s head wrangler coming out of his gruff shell to help a little girl get over her fears, the men and women of Mustang Ridge are always growing and changing. I guess I am, too. And you know what? I think I like being a flower girl these days. Maybe I’ll even buy a colorful bag to go with my flowery wallet thingie. And I’ll definitely keep those flowers in mind when I write today.

So tell me, have you ever had one of those moments when you realized that something you’ve always owned or done doesn’t really work for you anymore? Or had that perfect gift show up, one that you didn’t have any clue you needed? I’d love to hear about it!



19 comments:

  1. I love my Coach bags. They last forever. And yes I have.

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    1. Coach girls unite! I'm not sure I'll be able to leave them entirely behind ... may have to get one of their pretty patterned cloth ones instead of more black leather, though!

      Thanks for stopping by, Marian, and happy writing!

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  2. Yeah... I went through a phase a few years ago when I said, "You know, Mel, aren't you getting a little too old for Chucks and character t-shirts, punk skirts and Hello Kitty? Not to mention shelves full of action figures..." After all, I had a thirteen year old foster son at the time! I mean, it was time to grow up! I called Big Brothers and Big Sisters, had their truck come and I unloaded...well, an obscene amount of stuff. Including one of a kind Chucks, my Hellboy action figure, and most of my wardrobe. I went out and bought myself some pants from Gap, and *cough* neutrals. And I felt pretty good about this for...oh...a year (I also gained 25 pounds...). Then I had a moment of "WHAT HAVE I DONE???" (There were tears involved. It was ugly). I had forced myself to fit into someone else's mould. So I learned my lesson. I may not be able to rock ALL the stuff I used to (yeah, there were some skirts that definitely are better off NOT in my closet), but there is no arbitrary age where you must lose your essence and "grow up." Maybe all that stuff WAS me grown up. I still mourn some of that stuff I got rid of from time to time, but I think it was kind of necessary to get to bare bones so I could see what I was missing, and also, to really see who I had become.

    I loved the black leather you, and I love the new flowers and cotton you just as much, because you own it. You are comfortable there--and I think the flower girl was in there all along, she just wasn't ready to come out yet. And that is the fun thing about growth--you don't always have to be the same person forever. Change is inevitable, and it's fantastic when you can embrace it rather than fight it.

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    1. Props to you, Mel, for coming back around to the person who makes you happiest, but not resenting the Gap phase. That's awesome. (And you should totally be a writer, as this is a great little sketch.)

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  3. Hi Jesse,
    I also have a Coach bag and I love it! I also have a few pieces of Vera and I think they are fun. I'm one of those gals that changes her purse a lot so mine don't really get beat up all that much. I have to admit that if something stops working for me, I realize it pretty quickly. I think we all tend to resist change, but change can be a good thing. BTW - I think your new look is charming.

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    1. Hey Gerri! Okay, so I can be a Coach girl and a VB girl? This is a relief :) I think I need to embrace the change thing a bit more than I do. Like Mel, I've done some purging over the years and had some regrets, so I think I cling a bit. I like your style!

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  4. Lovely post, as always, Jess. Unsurprisingly, I'm a Coach girl, too. Can't beat the quality. I'm trying to evolve from being a jeans-only kind of person but I once read an article where I was informed that women choose a way of dressing based on when they were happiest in their lives, so clearly there's a reason why I gravitate towards jeans, ratty sweaters, and paddock boots! Clearly I want to live in a barn.

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    1. Thanks Laura! That's a cool point about how we set our patterns of dress. I love long coats ... not sure if that goes back to grooming for my BFF who showed saddle seat, Civil War reenacting, or a previous life ...? (And, hey, some of my best friends live in barns!)

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  5. So, I have the perfect shopping assistant for you...lol, she'll find you the perfect purse to go with your new wristlet. And how cool that you won the raffle. Maybe that's a sign things are changing (note to self: must go buy lotto tickets).

    Change is good. Yes, it's scary, after all, who knows what might happen. We might find success or fall flat on our faces, right? At least we won't be stuck in the same rut. I was talking about this with Mary Buckham this past weekend, facing our fears, allowing ourselves to grow and embracing moments of serendipity and when you do it can introduce you to some amazing opportunities that will allow you to achieve your dreams. I remember a very shy women who approached one of her favorite authors a few years back, afraid to admit she wanted to write. Look at her now, ready to take on the world.

    Change is good and doesn't mean we have to forget who we were or where we came from. In fact, we shouldn't, because then we won't appreciate where we are as much. So keep the black leather, pull it out when the mood suits and the rest of the time, embrace the new you.

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    1. Hey! LOL on the shopping assistant, may take you up on her :)

      I'm grateful on pretty much a daily basis that the shy woman approached that author. Though still amused that I had to go to a faraway convention to meet someone who lived a few towns from me ;)

      And, yeah, while much of the leather has moved on to new homes, I suspect I'll always have a piece or two, to pull out when I'm feeling like kicking some ass and taking some names.

      Okay. Theme of the day? Change is good. Now to convince my hero of this fact.

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  6. I am to bags what Imelda Marcus was to shoes. I have three coaches too. A tan saddle bag, a black sling that's coming to Nationals, and my current one that I thought was too frumpy until I noticed the hot pink strands running through the tweed. I've got three bags on rotation. My Etienne Aigner is my Mommy bag -- it's taupe and very sensible. My Dooney & Burke satchel is green and roomy, but won't fit over my shoulder. And the non frumpy Coach. I also have a blue green pattern Vera Bradley, but it wouldn't fit my Kindle *and* my wallet. So I got a smaller wallet :D

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    1. Hi Lissa!

      LOL on the 'it can't be frumpy; it's got hot pink in it!' I totally agree :) I have profound respect for those of you who can manage to juggle multiple bags. I strongly fear that if I switched from one to another based on outfits, moods, or whatnot, that I would invariably leave the house with an empty bag. LOL!

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  7. Hey Jess. Levenger girl here - I'm a sucker for organizational pockets. I just finished Sunset at Keyhole Canyon this morning. Loved it. This is so your voice. I'm looking forward to the rest of the Mustang Ridge books.

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    1. Thanks so much for the props on the novella, Myretta! These stories really do feel very much like 'me.' :) And LOL on the pockets. Me, I just outsmart myself by putting stuff in the pockets 'so I won't forget where they are' and then forgetting ...

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  8. Fun post Jesse. Finally got started on your Sunset at Keyhole Canyon. Reading Ayn Rand's "The Fountainhead" simultaneously.

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    1. Wow, Gail, that's quite a pairing! Happy reading :)

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  9. Hmmm... I'm still in the black leather phase. I just can't seem to get into the cotton and flowers thing. Then again, if I get :)
    But like you, I am a human raffle repellant. I never win anything. *insert sob story music here - with lots of violins and maudlin lines* *sob sob*

    But someday! Someday I will win something. SOMEDAY!
    Now excuse me while I go sit in the bathroom while the tornadoes pass by.
    Jules

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    1. Hope the tornadoes skipped you, Jules! Human raffle repellents unite! Seriously, there can be one of those 'everyone wins' things, and we'll still loose. It's a gift ... I'm just not sure what, exactly, to do with this power to put a positive spin on it.

      Maybe when it comes time to draw straws for 'who has to go outside and see if the zombies are gone yet'? (Though I suspect that's the one time us raffle repellents would 'win'.)

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