I Am a Girl

But there are some who doubt that I am a REAL girl...

1. I don’t collect shoes. Sure, I like cute styles, and I try to meld cute and comfy together, but my aim is to avoid pain. 3-inch heels might be adorable, strappy sandals might be irresistible on the shelf, but neither are for me, even though I could use the added height or flare. No, I seek out comfort in Skechers or Dr. Scholls. If the shoe fits well, I’m a fan.

2. I don’t like flip-flops. Never have. First of all, they are clearly a safety hazard to those of us who are prone to klutzy behavior, and secondly, I don’t like how they separate a person’s big toe from the rest of the team. Why can’t our toes just learn to get along?

3. I don’t care about name brands. If I like it, and it fits on both my body and my budget, I’m sold. It doesn’t matter if I’m shopping at a consignment store, Target, Wal-mart, JCPenneys or Goodwill. I look at tags to decipher the size not popularity.

4. I don’t wear lots of make-up. In fact, most people think I don’t wear any. Fact is that I do put it on, but a few hours later, it is gone. Apparently, I have pores the size of potholes and super-absorbent skin. As we speak, scientists are trying to recreate my skin in a lab for further testing...

5. I’m not crazy about purses. Yes, I usually have one on my person most of the time, but it’s usually black, purchased at Target, and kept in use until the handles break off or the fabric rips. A purse is a necessary evil, a must-have for every woman, but I don’t have a stash of them in my closet to rotate based on the season, my mood or my current outfit. I’m just not that girl..not usually.

So the idea of me purposefully buying a blue Coach purse doesn’t jive with what people know about me at all -- even I am stunned by these recent turn of events! All I know is that one moment I was innocently meandering along looking at flea market wares such as hand tools, rusty farm equipment, tableware, old books and antiques. When all of a sudden, something happened, my heart was beating faster, and I was captivated. It was like a spotlight from heaven was shining down on that purse, and I was drawn to it. It had my full attention. I handled it fondly, caressed the handle and checked the label to establish what I already knew. Yes, it was a brand new Coach purse for $35.

I quietly put it down. I told myself I didn’t need it. I’m a practical girl, first and foremost. What am I going to do with a blue Coach purse? I already had a perfectly good black purse waiting for me back home. I walked away and continued scanning other vendors’ products, but that purse was not done with me. I told myself I would check back on it later. If the purse was still available, I might reconsider a purchase of it. The whole “if you love it, set it free” ideal was swimming around my head. If it is meant to be, it would be waiting for me when I returned.

And so it was that on the 5th of July in the year 2010, that I, Melanie -- the girl who doesn’t like name brands or frivolous purses -- became the proud owner of her very own blue Coach purse for $35 and verified once and for all that I am a REAL girl.

As Paul Harvey would have put it, “And now you know the rest of the story.”