Yes, yes, yes. I know it’s been forever since I’ve written here. Life has just been unusually busy lately, what with the new responsibilities at work, a visit from my little bro, and yoga teacher training. Oh, and with catching up on Star Trek The Next Generation.
Speaking of “new responsibilities at work” – when I got my raise I tried to leash in my innate American need to spend all my extra money. I decided to buy just two things as a congratulatory gift to myself:
1. I wanted a pair of winter boots that I could wear outside in the snow and wet. I wanted them to have a flat sole (no heel), and I wanted the sole to have good traction. I also wanted the boots to be easy to get on and off. My current boot selection was not conducive to exercising outside in the cold months. My Frye Engineer soles were too firm, so I just slip and slide on ice. My Born knee-high boots had a good sole, but they are dress boots – meant to be worn on the outside of tights/skinny jeans. They look pretty silly with running pants tucked into them, and since they are knee-high, they are pretty heavy for long walks.
After a lot of research I discovered the Merrell Haven Duo Waterproof boots. They seemed like just the ticket. I put them on my Amazon Wish List, hoping the price would go down (a tactic that has worked for me in the past). Instead, they sold out! And they kept selling out! When my size in Brown finally showed up again, I ordered them immediately. They were about 1/2 a size smaller than I wanted, but I really liked how comfortable and pretty they were, so I ordered the next 1/2 size up. They didn’t have brown anymore in that size (sold out EVERYWHERE!), so I ordered “Goose,” which is like a brownish grey.
I have to say, I LOVE these boots!! They are super comfortable, especially with a thick pair of these socks. My feet stay toasty warm, the soles grip the snow, the boots are very light, and they fit comfortably under my workout pants. The side zip makes them super easy to get off and on. They are perfect for winter walks. I wish I would have bought them at the beginning of the winter, so I would have gotten outside more. If you are looking for great winter boots, check them out. Maybe you can find them at an end-of-season sale; although, if you have to pay full price for them, they are totally worth it. They are the winter equivalent of my Merrell Barefoot running shoes – perfect!
2. My other gift to myself was the Field Canvas Tote Bag from L.L. Bean. I needed a bag that would fit my huge stack of books that I need to bring to YTT. It also needed to fit 2 bottles of water, snacks, pens & pencils, handkerchiefs, notebooks, and a binder. I searched all over the internet, and even considered those expensive Filson-type bags for $300. Nothing met my needs. I wanted something with straps that fit over the shoulder, a cross-body strap, lots of pockets, and I wanted it to be attractive. This bag fits all of those requirements. The outside is beautiful dark-blue, rugged canvas, and the inside is soft flannel. It fits all of my YTT gear, but it also works great for a change-of-clothes bag. It scales up and down, is what I’m trying to say.
I know that yoga is all about teaching your mind to be happy with what it has (and relieving it from the constant stress of wanting, wanting, wanting), but these 2 purchases really made my life better! I’m trying to do less mindless spending by picking out items that are made with great quality and that will serve me well for years. That being said, I’m hoping that as I continue studying and practicing yoga, I can get my mind to the place where it doesn’t constantly crave that one “perfect” item for every problem. Eventually I will learn to make do with what I have and to be happy that I have it. I’m still learning though. We watched Yoga Is in YTT yesterday, and one of the teachers interviewed in it said something that I found very encouraging. He said that humans are super malleable – you can change yourself at any time. The really good can go really bad, but the really bad can go really good. I’m somewhere in the middle, so there is still hope for me to become really good!
