Announcing....

Today's my birthday, and what better time to announce that I have a new and improved blog! From now on, you can find me over at www.morahecht.com.

Same blog, new look.

Happy birthday to me!

A Short Tale

It rarely works for me to stray from my routine. I make no apologies for being consistent. For example, I always park in the same location in the places I frequent most.

My reasoning? I always know where my car is parked as my mind clears from shopping fog. And if I don’t arrive home, Husband knows exactly where to tell the police my car is parked.

So, perhaps I was a bit over confident in my new found frame of mind and throwing caution to the wind I parked in an entirely different location at the mall. During the holiday shopping frenzy. Don’t do it is all I’m saying. I was one of those people you see clicking their fob up and down every aisle until I remembered I wasn’t even parked in that lot. Sigh.

Holiday Business

I’ve got a lot going on. I am busy from morning to sunset. There’s business to take care of that I can’t put on hold.

My closet has become my office. That’s where I stash gifts for the holiday. Everything is wrapped. Mainly because I don’t want my grandson’s to come upon their Chanukah presents and have their surprise ruined. There is nothing more disappointing than not being able to pull off a surprise. It’s just about everything.

I’ve stood in line so many times at the post office I know the workers by name. I’ve ordered and mailed and feel rather proud. I’ve baked and cooked. This year is different from last. We made it through the storm and we are going to celebrate.

Cookies for Everyone!

This bit of news is going to make you very happy! Today is National Cookie Day, according to NationalDayCalendar.com. The day to celebrate these sweets was founded by Matt Nader, of Blue Chip Cookie Company in 1987. So go get your free or discounted cookie. You are welcome.

Musings of the Minimal Kind

Long before Japanese organizing consultant and author, Marie Kondo sparked joy I already knew how to find mine. No clutter lived in my organized, everything-in-its-place bedroom. Being a minimalist from a very young age did not sit well with my post-depression era parents. Hold on to what you’ve got, because this-could-be-it philosophy, although completely understandable, did not seem to apply to a new generation. As a teenager I purged clothing taking up residence in my closet that no longer fit, much to their dismay.

This was always a battle. “But that pink sweater still fits you.” My mother insisted, going through my donate pile. To prove a point I squeezed myself into the sweater, which if truth be told, was small from the get-go; “return” apparently not part of our lexicon. Resolutely I pushed my head through the opening, took in a deep breath, wiggled my arms through the not-going-to-give-an-inch sleeves, transforming my limbs into pink sausages. What little breasts I had, flattened into pancakes, my midriff exposed, while my mother, exclaimed, “It fits!”

So, while I may have had a difficult time being understood, as an adult I am free to be as minimal and simplified as I desire. It gives me great comfort and a clear head when everything has an appropriate place to live. I write better when the house is in order first. Socks, in the sock drawer, apparel in my closet, sorted by color, pantry items, nestled neatly in their bins. And I would rather have quality over quantity. Life is simpler that way. Less is more.

And what some may say is a need for control, I find quite liberating. I recently found a way to simplify my makeup drawer, thus saving me valuable time in the morning. I have banished the need for a pencil sharpener. I really thought this was a stroke of genius and why I didn’t think of it sooner is beyond me. Twist up eyebrow, eye liner and lip liner pencils are the way to go. It’s a game changer.

So, we all have choices. We can make our lives complicated and messy or simple and neat. I choose the latter.

I Bought the Story Online

I decided to join, apparently everyone, and try holiday shopping online. I’ve had success with cleaning products, toys, wedding and baby gifts, but no such luck for myself. I swore off ordering purchases only to be returned to the store; a complete waste of my time. But, I’ll give it one more try. Black Friday, not to mention Cyber Monday, all too much to ignore.

So any store email is fair game. Anthropologie, Target, Bloomingdale’s, Nordstrom, to name a few.

I sit perusing at my computer as the model calls for me to order a beautiful emerald sweater, a touch of ruffles on the sleeves. Her hair blows in the wind, her arm resting on one knee, her waist twisted ever so slightly, as she looks wistfully towards the horizon, while sitting on a beaten up old bench. I wonder, is she waiting for a bus?

And look at that wrap blouse, a bow cascading down the side. The bright eyed young model is bending over, her hands on her thighs, smiling wide, a table set for dinner in the background. And yes, her hair is blowing and flowing behind her. So, it occurs to me this may have been my mistake in the past. Am I taken in by the fantasy of an apparel item? And why is it always windy? I could not even tell what the front of the blouse actually looks like head on. But, as I put it in my basket I wonder, who’s coming for dinner? I am too much of a helpless romantic for my own good. I just may not be the online shopping type. I am too easily seduced by the story.

Postscript

As more news reports come out, turns out we were in more danger outside the mall than in. Hmmm...

One more reason for gratitude and thankfulness as we sit around the holiday table this Thursday.