Friday, August 12, 2005
Overheard at Nordstrom
Visit me at my new website - anniecrawford.com
Strolling my one year old down the marble like walkway past the perfume ladies, 3 year old skipping beside me, a typically fashionable employee offers me a sample of a new Christian Dior perfume. Fortunately, the girls are decently dressed and I am wearing a trendy gauze, strapless, multi-patterned maternity top my mom spent way too much on at Mimi's.
(BTW - I love Nordstrom. The store is so beautiful and their clothes are timelessly stylish. It brings out all the coveting in me. I would spend thousands there if I had it and didn't have a conscience about the poor in the world. I haven't bought a thing at Nordie's in many years.)
"What a great top. Those fabrics are fabulous."
"Thanks, I picked it up at Mimi's"
"Oh, are you expecting another one?"
Here in my prideful, critical sinfulness I am tempted to think, 'oh, you were more apt to assume that I am strangely fat in the middle than that I would have another child so soon?' I can be very unfair and critical when I am not walking in the Spirit. :-) Such a negative thought also probably arises to make myself feel better that I am NOT getting to spend money on all those cute clothes and shoes at Nordstrom.
However, to feed my cynicism, a "perfume man" walks up beside the woman and says, "Well, isn't she a glutton for punishment."
I thought of replying "Do I look like I am suffering?" since we were all amazingly at the moment looking pretty cute, happy and effervescent. The girls love the mall, they are always a bundle of joy there. I think it is the bright lights and many colors.
Fortunately, I have learned to keep my mouth and snappish comments shut. In truth, once I let my love for clever comments to subside, I feel mostly pity for those who do not value children as the Lord does. They never seem joyful to me. I have an earnest desire to display what a joy my children are. It is one of my major motivations to persevere in discipline and training, that God's children and His plan for family might be shown to be wonderful.
(BTW - I love Nordstrom. The store is so beautiful and their clothes are timelessly stylish. It brings out all the coveting in me. I would spend thousands there if I had it and didn't have a conscience about the poor in the world. I haven't bought a thing at Nordie's in many years.)
"What a great top. Those fabrics are fabulous."
"Thanks, I picked it up at Mimi's"
"Oh, are you expecting another one?"
Here in my prideful, critical sinfulness I am tempted to think, 'oh, you were more apt to assume that I am strangely fat in the middle than that I would have another child so soon?' I can be very unfair and critical when I am not walking in the Spirit. :-) Such a negative thought also probably arises to make myself feel better that I am NOT getting to spend money on all those cute clothes and shoes at Nordstrom.
However, to feed my cynicism, a "perfume man" walks up beside the woman and says, "Well, isn't she a glutton for punishment."
I thought of replying "Do I look like I am suffering?" since we were all amazingly at the moment looking pretty cute, happy and effervescent. The girls love the mall, they are always a bundle of joy there. I think it is the bright lights and many colors.
Fortunately, I have learned to keep my mouth and snappish comments shut. In truth, once I let my love for clever comments to subside, I feel mostly pity for those who do not value children as the Lord does. They never seem joyful to me. I have an earnest desire to display what a joy my children are. It is one of my major motivations to persevere in discipline and training, that God's children and His plan for family might be shown to be wonderful.
3 Comments:
At 8/13/2005 8:03 PM,
texashimalaya said…
Sherry - thank you so much for the kind words and encouragement! You made my day.
At 8/13/2005 9:32 PM,
Renae in St. Louis said…
As the mom of 4 seven-and-under, I brace myself for similar comments every time I go to the store (or, frankly, to visit my own family). "You really have *your* hands full!" Sound familiar?
Living where I do, there are a lot of large Catholic families around. One of my neighbors recently said, "You have 4 kids? Around here we call that a good start!" (I can see my Dad having a coronary if he heard someone tell me that.) I love that line! So, I've begun using it as my retort when we're out... e.g:
Them: "Wow, 4 kids, you're a brave woman!"
Me (in the most sweetly conversational tone I can muster): "You think so? Some would call 4 kids a good start!"
It didn't work once. Some guy, with a shocked look on his face said, "Geez, how many ya gonna have?!?"
As far as the first comment you got at Nordies, I think some people go out of their way to not comment on looking pregnant in order to flatter you or at least not offend in case they're wrong, even if it's flamingly obvious. So maybe she can be let off the hook. Maybe not.
At 8/13/2005 9:41 PM,
texashimalaya said…
Renae - That is a good return comment! :-) I usually don't take things personally or get easily offended, and I really wasn't with these people either, but I do like to take opportunities to make people think, if I can in a kind way, in order to challenge many of the silly asumptions broadly marketed in culture today.
You are right about allowing for people to not assume someone is pregnant. Unless it is super obvious, I won't either.
Post a Comment
<< Home