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March 13, 2006
The joy of shopping
Today I went to Washington Square to exchange something at Pottery Barn Kids (I know, I know - how suburban can I get?), and since I was there we (Linna and I) walked through Nordstrom as well. We didn't buy anything, as I just can't stomach spending lots of money on clothes ($150 for a nightgown, no matter how nice, is just too much). But boy, did it make me think about Mom. I don't know how many times the three or four of us (Mom, Gammi, Erika and I) went to Nordstrom together at Stanford Shopping Center. And there's certainly a sameness to all Nordstroms, so it doesn't matter that Mom never set foot in Tigard - Nordstrom's makes me think of her. Very nostalgically.
The funny thing is that as a kid I hated shopping, and often excused myself from the day-after-Thanksgiving outing, when I could. But once we were grown up, I guess the trips grew on me. We'd always share a dressing room if there was a big one, or traipse back and forth in the clothes if there wasn't. Then we'd have lunch at the Nordstrom Cafe, which isn't bad. In the later years, Gammi would mostly sit and watch, or try on a few things if there was something in particular she needed.
Even now I don't like shopping much, and don't like spending money on clothes. But God, I miss going shopping with Mom. It's just about impossible for me to buy anything at Nordstrom without encouragement from someone - maybe that's part of what I miss. When I was in California a few times last year, I kept wanting to go shopping with Erika, to get my fix in. It's a rare pleasure now, even rarer since Erika's 800 miles away, and Mom infinitely farther, plus she probably doesn't need any new clothes. And mostly I just don't have friends I shop with. Karla is the exception - we shopped together once last year just after I learned I was pregnant, and it was really fun.
Even Mom's last Christmas, a month before she died, when hospice was already calling and offering their services, we took one last shopping trip to Nordstrom and bought each other nightgowns. I needed a new nightgown that would be good for nursing in, Mom needed a very soft cotton one that wouldn't bother her tender tumor, and Erika just wanted some cool pajama bottoms for lounging in. She always gave us nightgowns for Christmas, which we would open on Christmas Eve and sleep in. In fact, that's the last new nightgown I got.
Posted by ktingey at March 13, 2006 10:05 PM
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