I have a purse that I like to carry around with me, but I think I should stop and call it for what it really is: a bag. A very heavy bag.
I had a meeting yesterday and brought it along with my usual briefcase. (Sidebar: I dropped in to the Art-is-in bakery for a latte – which was surprisingly gross – and bought a loaf of bread, which I carried to my meeting IN my briefcase. Ha!)
So I had the briefcase (with extra loaf) and my bag, and they both hung off my right shoulder. And that’s when I noticed, for the umpteenth time, what a heavy load I was carrying. I was practically hunched over.
I don’t carry a briefcase very often, and it’s really only pen and papers in there anyway. It’s my purse that is the worst offender. There’s a lot of stuff in there, but that’s what moms are supposed to do, right? My internal Guide To Being Mom tells me I must:
- Carry everything and
- Be prepared for hunger pangs, bloody noses, chapped lips, headaches, flossing emergencies, blisters, etc etc. at all times.
I wouldn’t be surprised to find a set of screwdrivers and a package of DD batteries in there.
I think my desire to be prepared stems from our diaper bag days. When I was a new mom I got into the habit of tossing everything in there JUST IN CASE: diapers, bottles, snacks, clothing… and I don’t think I ever recovered. I don’t like to be underprepared for anything.
One of the things I always have with me are pens and notebooks. It is a way for me to jot down my ideas and to entertain my kids. I can’t tell you how many co-operative stories, games of hangman, tic-tac-toe, and doodles we’ve doodled in them.
I would love to be the kind of person who carries nothing but a credit card and my iPhone. I am currently coveting this kind of iPhone wristlet, but that would mean I couldn’t carry my favourite notebooks. Hmm. I need to give this some more thought.
What about you? Are you BIG BAG mom? Or tiny wristlet mom? :)
