Don't take me to the mall.

Don’t take me to the mall. You won’t enjoy yourself. Don’t take me shopping. I’m liable to snap at you for taking too long in the dressing room. I don’t know what happens to me, but if you ever run into me at the mall, I apologize in advance. I may smirk at you, march past you in a hurry to the nearest exit, or possibly force you into buying me one of those banana frosty drinks, because I spent my last dollar on some worthless trinket. Please don’t take it personally. Something really bad (and bizarre) happens to me at the mall. Maybe it’s the loss of sunlight, or just a frustration with clothes not fitting this too tall size 14, but I’ve never had a pleasurable experience at the mall, except maybe at the food court.

It seems like a sin to be inside the mall on a beautiful sunny day, but this girl needed a new pair of shoes, something I put off way too long. So with three grandparents at my home watching Alan, I decided it was time to venture out to the other side of town. I procrastinated. First, I stopped by the office for a while, and then to lunch. Delaying methods continued with a stop to Barnes and Noble where I could relish in a few moments of peaceful pop-culture. But when Bootie and Pop-Pop showed up moments after I settled into my latte heaven, I realized I was running out of time. Time to go to the m-a-l-l.

By the time I walked into the third shoe store, I was feeling a little loopy. Having already spent over an hour at the mall, I was already irrational from the lack of sun, and seemingly poised for some impending drama. To make a long story short, I witnessed one of the managers bullying a cashier. Plus, this obnoxious manager was boasting to the cashier about having punched someone out recently, which made my blood boil. Lucky for him he left to go on his break. Yet, the cashier seemed unfazed by this interaction which made me doubt my own reality. Were they just joking around with each other? I just bit my lip and took a deep breath and left (with three pairs of shoes).

Needless to say, I didn’t enjoy my free time this afternoon. I left with a bag of clothes and shoes, and later de-stressed by visiting Adams Fairacre Farms. I am much more comfortable around fruit. (there’s a joke in there somewhere). When I came home, my friend Jamie had left some new toys for Alan on our porch, and all the grandparents were there playing with him. It was a welcoming sight. I happily cooked everyone a delicious seafood meal followed by a visit from my five-year-old neighbor who we took with us on a walk to the park. Happy to be back to my mall-less world!!!

Postscript: Thanks Jamie for the toys...and Julie, I should have accepted your invitation!