Non-buyer's Remorse

I should have bought that.

Why didn't I get that (fill in the blank) at (choose a store)?

I had it in my hand, but I just couldn't justify spending the money.

If you've ever uttered these or phrases like them, you may have suffered from non-buyer's remorse or the condition of wishing to hell you'd bought something you saw while out shopping. I don't suffer from it much. At least not firsthand.

But I suffer from it regularly via the mother.

At least one of every two shopping trips we take together, those words emerge from mother's mouth. It was with the idea of resolving non-buyer's remorse that led to a last-minute adjustment in plans this morning.

I had asked the MonkeyGirl if she could meet me to pick up a bookcase. She graciously agreed. We were tentatively scheduled for mid-morning, but the mother was anxious to return to a store we'd been to yesterday and buy something she hadn't (which I'd told her to THREE TIMES). Since she's on vacation, and since she had to pick up her new pup at the groomer's, MonkeyGirl welcomed the time shift.

The mother had a successful shopping adventure, we found some items we can use next year, and we had good weather all the while.

The MonkeyGirl and I had an equally successful adventure, happily getting the bookcase loaded. Not until after I made an ass of myself in the checkout because my debit card expired -- on Dec. 31. I HAD a new one, but it was at home, unactivated. But the MonkeyGirl loaned me a few bucks so I could get my crap and then pick up the bookcase. (I HAD money at home, but I'm so accustomed to using my debit card anymore ...)

At home, I made an equal ass of myself after we had carried the bookcase downstairs by falling out of the backdoor. I was reaching up to slide the clip across (the one that holds the door open) when I lost my balance and subsequently tripped over the towel across the threshold, to block drafts. I had about two seconds to respond so I managed to not fall all the way back and slam my head. Instead, I broke my fall with my butt and my left hand/wrist/elbow. Luckily, the MonkeyGirl was there to grab the uninjured hand and pull me back on my feet.

Yeah, I'm feelin' it. Ouch. Grace was never one of my virtues.

But a good day with both the mother and the MonkeyGirl ... a perfect mix of family, and friends that are family.