My Inspiration . . . in a bag

Thursday, August 25, 2011
Lately, I've taken to keeping my inspiration in bag on my desk. It sits in the corner, right on top of my dictionary, the phone book, and a pile of Writer's Digest. 
 
There's only one catch. . . .
It's empty!

It's no secret that I've been coveting the Tiffany Setting engagement ring ever since I spied in the Bellagio shopping court in Vegas three years back. I think it's perfect in every way: sparkly, chic, elegant. But there's one little catch: the yowsers(!) price tag. Obviously there's a bit of writing success that needs to happen before we can bridge the gap between me and the ring, not to mention a small portion of my lifetime spent saving. 


Sure, it's frivolous and silly to dream of someday owning a 15K ring. And if I did manage to squirrel away those funds, chances are they'd end up being a down payment on a house or something else slightly more . . . substantial.

But a girl can dream.

I remember the story a volunteer at work told me the other day about her mother. Although her mother grew up as one of 11 children on a small town southern MN farm, in her adulthood she traveled to all the major cities as a buyer for a retail store. When she visited New York, she insisted on having the most fashionable hat from Saks 5th Avenue, the one with an entire small bird on it. (You know, the kind that prompted the Everglades to be designated a national park to save the birds from hat-hood.) The volunteer still has that hat of her mother's.

Moral of the story: if you work hard and make deliberate fiscal decisions, nothing is out of reach, as long as you don't want everything.
 
So when a lampshade showed up at work with two harps tucked into a taped up Tiffany's bag at the bottom of the box, I decided to pull off the tape and keep the bag. Because someday, I know I'll fill it.

11 comments:

  1. ok... that is really great advice.
    On a side note though, I have to laugh. I adore Tiffany's. ADORE it... I keep a T & Co. bag in front of my direct work/line of vision for inspiration. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. There's nothing like a robins egg blue bag demanding attention by your writing station for motivation! I should post up photos of places I want to travel to by my laptop, and get myself to work!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh Ada, every girl has to have a dream and I'm sure many girls have empty Tiffany's bags waiting for them to be filled!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Very sweet Ada---- I love that you have picked a specific something. It is easier to go for a goal when you know what it looks like!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Personally, I love that your current inspiration is an empty bag. There's so much possibility and beauty in that. Getting philosophical, but it's neat. Happy seeing beautiful (and oh, the ring, it is!).

    ReplyDelete
  6. People so often go for the instant gratification and then wonder why they don't have some of the important things that they want. It's good to have goals and allow yourself the time to fulfill them. Love the blue bag and how it's a reminder of what you want!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oooooh, I love this! An empty bag of inspiration. Beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Aw, Ada... I just know you will fill it, because I just know you're going to be a huge success.

    I have a dream of getting a Tiffany bag of my own someday. Here's to dreams coming true!!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. There's just something about those little blue bags that contain little blue boxes that contain little, or big, dreams. I love that you keep the bag in sight. And I love that you dream big. :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. I saw you at For the Love of Blogs, and I'm your newest follower! Please come check me out, too. I'm a big dreamer, too!

    ReplyDelete
  11. That ring IS pretty. Even I think so and I have no love for expensive jewelry. I like your bag idea! Hey, are you a member of SheWrites? If not, I highly recommend it. It's an online writers group--all kinds of writers, bloggers, editors, reviewers etc... Great support and source of info. It's like it's own little Face Book community. Very cozy. Look me up there if you decided to join! I hooked up to this link for my recipe blog, but I also have a writing blog and love the support I get from She Writes for BOTH blogs!
    http://thebiggreenbowl.blogspot.com
    http://thinkinginmyheadma.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts with Thumbnails