Big Pocketbook Training School

I have a love-hate relationship with purses. Love to carry my stuff in something cute; hate to carry my stuff in the cute something because it’s too small.

Ask RG Daughter, I have spent the last two years looking for a Big Pocketbook. None ever measured up: That one is too big. That one has too much decor on it. That one is too clunky. That one is too, well, ugly. Thus, I continued to carry my stuff in my cute, too-small purse until this week.

On a random trip to the mall to return something, I walked through the accessories department at Dillards. I glanced at the designer bags, but frankly, I care so much less about a designer name and so much more about form and function. But there on a shelf was a Big Pocketbook that looked perfect–soft blue leather with a brown strap, just the right size, no zillions of pockets or meaningless metal on the exterior. Most importantly, under $100. Bought.

No time to organize, however. I was late for a date. I dumped the contents from my cute, too-small purse into my perfect new Big Pocketbook, shoved a shawl in as well, and was ready to head out. That I could fit a shawl in my new Big Pocketbook–for that matter, even a rain jacket would fit–made me feel even more happy with my purchase.

Until I tried to find my car keys. I dug around the shawl, pushed aside my wallet, and patted the entire interior of my new Big Pocketbook. No keys. I felt each side pocket. I easily located a pen, my business card case, a small tin of mints, a lighter, and a couple of crumpled receipts. Still, no keys. Not funny. I was late.

I had no choice–time to dump everything back out, which I did, on my living room floor. And sure enough, the car keys tumbled out almost immediately, quite visible in the heap of everything else scattered about on my floor. Okay, keys must always go in the same interior pocket, I told myself.

As my evening went on, I continued to not find anything I needed in my new Big Pocketbook. Where is that pen? Nowhere, but there are the car keys. Lighter? Forget it. And so on.

My bartender girlfriend smirked as she watched me try to find my wallet. “New pocketbook?” she laughed. “Aren’t they hell at first? Takes some getting used to, those big purses.”

My cool, confident girlfriend assured me I would find my lighter in a couple of days. “In the meantime, use mine,” she offered. “Just don’t put it in your new Big Pocketbook!”

I am convinced you can lose just about anything you put in a new Big Pocketbook. Because for the past few days, I have.

“I think they should have a Big Pocketbook training school,” laughed my cool, confident girlfriend last night as I struggled to find my reading glasses and could only come up with an empty glasses case. “First class: Organizing your life in your new Big Pocketbook–pockets full of possibilities!”

“Second class: Where everything you lost is found again,” I smiled.

“Third class: Feeling secure in keeping it all together in your new Big Pocketbook space,” she added.

We laughed some more, toasted our friendship, and celebrated some positive changes that have recently occurred in both our lives. In her case, a new place to live that is nothing short of perfect. In my case–confidence to ditch my flock and have simple fun with someone I’ve known for a while, someone who has turned out to be quite wonderful.

Fourth class: No weight on your shoulders, just a very cool purse.