Lost and Found

When you move, you are required to go through each and every item that you own. And when you do that, you find things you forgot you had. Such discoveries can be a real downer. For instance, when I am having a low moment, I sometimes buy cute clothes that are a size or four too small for me to use as "motivation" to work on health-related goals. But then when I don't meet those goals within five minutes, I stick the clothes in the back of the closet. And then when I move, as I recently did, I find them. All of them. With price tags still on. Most are only marginally in style at this point. What's worse, my mother saw them. Now they are providing a different kind of "motivation"--as in, I am motivated to curb my shopping habit and reduce my consumerist and wasteful tendencies. (Being on the job hunt helps with that as well.)

But sometimes when you move, you find GREAT things you forgot you had. Like gift cards! I discovered a bounty of them during this move. Most of them are to Starbucks--they were promotional gifts from court reporting companies and the like. (Another fave gift of legal service providers is tins of Mrs. Fields cookies, but I sure didn't find any of those lying around unused.) Those who know me know I am not a coffee drinker, but I am a newly determined Starbucks hot chocolate drinker. I also found some unused Christmas and birthday gift cards that have come in handy while setting up the new apartment. Finally, I found a random, blank gift certificate for a pound of See's candy dated 2008, which I used to purchase the lovely box of chocolates above.

The best part? The See's employee who boxed up my choices complimented me on my aesthetically-pleasing combination. Beauty in the ordinary--as sweet as the chocolate itself, no?