OPINION: Confessions of a ‘pursaholic’

I like to look at them, I like to smell them (especially the leather ones) and, unfortunately, I love to buy them, especially if they’re on sale.

I have a closet full of purses of every size and shape that attest to this weakness.

Forget shoes, forget trinkets, show me where the purses are.

Since things are tighter for us than they used to be, as they are for most of us, I’ve had to put a damper on my obsession, somewhat anyway. To combat depression over this – I have switched my attention to focus on one brand of purse in particular.

For my birthday this year, my family went for the gold by giving me not one, but two, of this brand of purse. I was in pocketbook heaven, if only for a few days. I must say that my fickle heart has already turned its full attention away from enjoying my new bags to the new “spring styles” showing up in sale circulars and online. So far, I have restrained myself to merely looking (and maybe a little touching) but no buying.

I ran into a woman in a waiting room recently who confessed to sharing my pocketbook passion. We struck up a conversation after I commented on the fact that I had a purse like the one she was carrying. She confessed that it was one of many handbags in her ever-growing collection. “I guess I’m always on the hunt for the perfect pocketbook and I just haven’t found it yet,” she told me, adding slyly that it was sure fun trying.

I understood completely, as I think many women do.

After all, a pocketbook is such an essential piece of everyday life for most women – who can blame us if we obsess over them a little. When I was a mother of small children, my bag had a more utilitarian purpose than ever – after all it was not only expected to hold all my stuff, but also carry a toy car or two, snacks, a sippy cup or bottle, maybe a doll, tissues, even a change of clothing sometimes.

That said, I have always loved small purses – in theory anyway.

I love the idea of taking a small purse that doesn’t weigh down my shoulders and has all those nifty compartments that make it easy to get at the “few” things I carry. But alas, I am not a woman who carries around just a few things, no matter how much I’d like to. After all, who knows when you might need that extra set of tweezers, fingernail clips, magnifying glass, lipstick, a bottle of water, napkins, snacks, glasses (several pair), etc., etc.

One just never knows what life might throw at us – and it’s good to be prepared.

Anyway, I love my purses and I probably always will. What a shame you can only carry one at a time.

Margie Richards is a reporter and office manager for The Madison County Journal.