I love Alison. I received her fabulous holiday letter this weekend and I had an imaginative experience for each entry. It made me realize I too should make note of the poignant times throughout my life (do I hear New Year’s Resolution 2010?). My favorite of all however, (I bet you can guess) is her shameless confession about her passion for shopping. Truthfully, this blog has made me feel a bit embarrassed about my love for clothes and shopping. My critical inside voice says “when are you going to grow up? You have a child. Smart, successful women don’t spend so much money on something as shallow as clothing, you are BAD for wanting that new Balenciaga!” on and on….why on earth would I want to confess to all of you what I am endlessly shaming myself for? Alison’s blatant, unapologetic confession somehow gave me permission to not really give a shit what other people think (one of my utmost flaws). Who cares? We only live once right? And you know what? I have one of the most addictive personalities out of any single person I have ever met…..and I’ve had many addictions, certainly not all of them, but plenty….drinking excessively, smoking like a chimney (I am smoke free almost 2 years), over-exercising, there is a term for that now with the word “bulimic” in it, and yes, shopping. Which one would YOU keep if you had to choose? Trust me, the elliptical machine isn’t all that great…even being a size 2 isn’t all that amazing…certainly not worth the utter deprivation it requires. We all have something….maybe we succeed at hiding it only from others (semi-dangerous), maybe we succeed at hiding it from ourselves (more dangerous in my opinion), maybe only from our loved ones (destructive and harmful), or maybe we just accept it and let it all hang out…..the least destructive of all if you ask me. I am giving myself permission to purchase that new Spring Balenciaga, I have not decided on the color yet, but it will solve 2 problems….it will be my day bag AND the bag that holds my laptop for work so I can finally board a plane with only 2 carry-on’s.
Happy Holidays!
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"Alison’s blatant, unapologetic confession somehow gave me permission to not really give a shit what other people think (one of my utmost flaws). "
ReplyDeleteThis is what I mean when I say to people, "When I grow up, I want to be Alison". I'm right there with you Kym! I <3 Alison's attitude, creativity and boldness in her fashion, and I hope to grow up to be as strong and unapologetically myself as she* is every day at the office!
BTW, I fully support your purchase of the new Spring Balenciaga--it's your gift to yourself! Please let us/me know what color you decide on. I want to live vicariously through you because my bank account just can't take the hit (gaaah).
*Ok, I'll stop gushing now. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if Alison barfs when sees this comment!