Adult friendships are hard. Yet in this time of the pandemic, they are more important than ever. Everyone I know is experiencing some form of loneliness, anxiety, unease.
You’d have to be living in a cave not to feel the uncertainty and sadness accompanying this period when there are more than 160,000 dead from the disease. We are in and out of quarantine, our daily routines are upended, there is economic hardship all around and we’re watching our children suffer from disturbed schooling and socialization. Even Michelle Obama, who I admire greatly for her humor, strength and determination, admitted this week that she’s suffering from low-level depression.
Probably because I am still attempting to be a nonshopper, I jumped when Lee Kantor sent me an invitation to her highly anticipated "Sip and Swap" event that she has held for the past 30 years, beginning when she lived in Los Angeles. She tells her loyal following of repeat attendees to leave both wallets and checkbooks at home, as all items will be swapped, not purchased.
One year ago today I went cold turkey.
No, not drugs or alcohol. I don’t have a problem with these substances. Instead, I made the decision that in 2018 there would be no purchases of clothing, shoes, purses or jewelry.
Anyone who knows me, knows I love to shop. Ever since I was a child, my heart would skip a beat when I had something new to wear. Growing up, we didn’t have a lot of money. But my father owned a restaurant in the wholesale garment district of Chicago, so twice a year, my mother and I would go shopping near my father’s restaurant where we could get the latest clothes at bargain prices.
