Purses are pains-in-the-__________

I don’t like purses. Can not stand purses. Purses are pains-in-the-__________. If I could shove everything I need in a wallet, I’d be a cheerful human. I fiercely prefer knapsacks, but I can’t justify carting a knapsack around when I’m not carrying my computer, and knapsacks aren’t as easy to hide (I like smash&grabs even less than purses.). A wallet carries my cards, the purse carries everything else.

So all this translates into: (1) I’m not uncomplaining when I choose purses and “decide” on the first even slightly OK thing I see to get done; (2) I’m a dedicated Scrooge when it comes to spending a penny on a purse, further reinforcing “decisions;” (3) I am TERRIBLE at choosing purses. This has all been true for years. Years. Fast forward to last week. I go to the Post Office, do my thing, pay with a card. Go to a hardware store, grab stuff. Go to pay for stuff. Can’t find my wallet… in my purse. Hunt, hunt, hunt some more. Can’t find my wallet. Figure I wasn’t paying attention, left it in the car. Un-huh. Go through the hardware store aisles. Un-huh. Go back to the Post Office. Un-huh. Finally become convinced I’ve lost my wallet, get home, cancel all the top-tier cards. And then find my wallet in my purse. Might as well have opened an umbrella to stop the Seattle rain while I was at it. The wallet was obscured in a pointless pocket of the purse, black wallet on black interior. I’d mislaid things before in the same pocket. When I bought it, I did need a purse, its predecessor snagged on something sharp and ripped open.

The new purse has a grey interior and half the number of pockets. And it looks like a baby knapsack.

It’s a chicken-and-egg question of course: if I slowed down and cautiously considered my needs, maybe let myself spend a little more, was careful to shop when I was in a good mood, would I have chosen a better purse the last time. Probably, and sometimes you need to practice. Perfectionism is the enemy of good and of done. But there’s a huge difference between refusing to settle for a tassle instead of a knot or settling for the wrong color, too many pockets, the straps were a ridiculous length, and there were no real closures. And even Organizers aren’t always organized or patient all the time.