A few days in the big city

Spent a few days in Chicago visiting family and friends. Highlight was a trip to Yorktown shopping center to look for 8th grade dance dresses with Genevieve, Shae and Rose, Wendy, Lisa and Kari. Reminded me of my brother-in-law's tales of playing "dress-the-dolly" with his daughter years ago. What fun to look at fluff and sparkle on young, beautiful, perfect little bodies! Didn't take much time to look at much else, but what I did see was an overwhelming avalanche of stuff. At the end of the day, Kari and I stopped in a store we had never heard of "Charming Charlie" which was "Claire's for grownups" on speed. (Not that I have ever been on speed, mind you, but I'm guessing that's what it would feel like.) I wanted it all. In every color. Bought nothing. (Although I did stop on my way home the next day to buy a scarf that I did keep thinking about:) ) By the way, all girls did get dresses. Genevieve's will be modified to include straps and a longer hemline of tulle, making it a more appropriate dress for a 13 year old, I hope. There has been so much more building, even in 5 years. How can one more inch be filled up? Who is buying all this stuff? How can we go on, sheerly buying more stuff? As I drove back on 88 toward a quieter, less stuff-filled life, a kind of calm returned. Whiney, cranky feelings of "why can't I spend that much on face cream?" let go.