When I was much younger, labels were everything to me. Everything I owned had to have the same label as the thing the next person had. One item in particular that stands out in my mind is penny loafers, the only thing to wear to school with a pleated skirt and knee socks. Remember those?
The only ones I wanted were Bass Weejuns. There were many other penny loafer brands that looked nearly identical and were much cheaper. But in my world, if they weren’t made by the Bass company and they weren’t the Weejuns style, you just didn’t wear them. My mother often objected to my brand preferences, but in this instance, she was easily persuaded. Luckily for me, I had narrow feet, and these were the only penny loafers made in a narrow width.
Kids today are no different. My granddaughter’s Christmas list contained only items made by Lululemon. I’ve never shopped for athletic clothing. Before fibromyalgia reduced my ability to participate in anything requiring special clothing, I would have worn my loosest, baggiest, most comfortable clothes to stretch and sweat in.
Today’s kids have special clothing — special kinds for every activity and all with special labels. I suspect there are similar products available at a much more reasonable price. But even if there were, she wouldn’t want them. And I understand this. I’m the Bass Weejuns girl. I get it.
Thankfully, I’ve outgrown that stage of my life. Today, comfort is king in my world. Labels be damned! And where gifts are concerned, homemade and/or handmade is always my preference. There was a time when I was an artsy-craftsy kind of person. I had the energy required to shop for the materials needed and I really enjoyed making things for my home as well as to give as gifts. I was also a seamstress and delighted in constructing items I’d seen in stores for a much higher price. One year I even made a life-size doll, complete with wardrobe, for my 4-year-old niece. I must confess that I seemed to like it a whole lot more than she did.
These days I have neither the energy to shop for the materials required nor the motivation to create gifts to present to friends and family for the holiday season. I’m sorry to say that I’ve resorted to Amazon like the rest of the world. Nevertheless, something made by hand and by heart has so much more meaning to me.
In that spirit, I’d like to share with you, my readers, the Fibromyalgia Poem I wrote some years ago.
The words are as true for me now as they were then. I hope each of you will relate to some, if not all of them, and will share these sentiments with the important people in your life.
Wishing you a joyful Holiday Season and a New Year filled with successful strategies for living your best life.