Too small good thing. Have you ever bought a coveted piece of clothing that was too small? Justifying its purchase by saying, “It’ll give me reason to lose a little weight. And losing weight is a good thing. This too small thing is a good thing. I should buy this too small good thing.”

I did that this week. I purchased a too small cute yellow skirt.

Refurbishing is responsible. I happened upon my too small good thing at a second-hand store. I love the idea of refurbishing. I believe it is a way of living more responsibly. My too small good thing morphed into an even better thing when I reminded myself of how responsible I was by purchasing a second-hand skirt.

I hate shopping. I usually face this daunting experience a handful of times throughout the year, with list in hand of what I need/want, find it, buy it, and then get on out of there. But there’s something about second-hand stores that hypnotize me into lingering and looking and discovering amazing things, like a too small good yellow skirt with a mysterious blue bird tag.

The little blue bird. This particular skirt, which fit only if I sucked in my stomach and very carefully zipped it up so as not to pinch my skin in the process, was colorful and fun. The right shirt would camouflage my abdominal fat, now pushed up and hanging over the waistline of the skirt. I figured with a blue bird tag this skirt had to be some Hollywood name brand (somebody please educate me) and worth the purchase. This very skirt could have been discarded by Julia Roberts.

I don’t know fashion from Adam. I create my own fashion, oblivious to name brands and tags and what’s in and what’s out. I just don’t know. One time, a friend of mine asked if I knew the brand Merrell. She had recently forgotten her Merrell flip flops in a hotel and was sick about it. They weren’t just flimsy little flip flops. I answered, “No.” I did not know that brand, upon which she looked down at my feet and noticed, and then pointed out, I was wearing Merrell hiking shoes. “Oh,” I said, as we both laughed. I had no idea.

I asked the saleslady if the purple price tag on the nameless yellow skirt meant it was 50 percent off.

“No,” she said. It was $42.

Should I purchase that too good thing? This too small good thing was now a too small too expensive good thing. My fashion varies, mimicking my complicated soul. Sometimes I like fun and colorful. Sometimes Bohemian. I like classic and simple. Sporty. Comfortable and country. I like whatever speaks to me in that given moment. This yellow skirt was speaking to me in that given moment. I hesitated with my pile of clothes and asked the saleslady if she could total my pending purchases. She scanned all the price tags and told me the total. I hesitated. Wrestled with my thoughts.

The skirt is too small Debby. 

Yeah, but it’s so cute. And it has a blue bird tag in it. That has to mean something. And if I buy it, I will get rid of my ab flab, once and for all. And besides Julia Roberts probably wore it. I like Julia Roberts.

Whatever. Do what you want. You’re going to anyway.  

“Okay, I’ll give you 50 percent off the skirt,” the saleslady said.

“Really?” I said. I didn’t know if that was good or bad, but before I thought about it too long, I said I would take everything. $104.58 for five shirts and three skirts (one with a blue bird tag) that mix and match with a bunch of my other clothes. And that’s how I acquired my too small good yellow skirt. Thank you Chic to Chic. I’m off to do some crunches.

I’m curious? Would you have purchased the yellow skirt? Please say yes.