Style or Substance?
MALL SHOPPING
When shopping in cold weather in the Midwest, I see both men and women enter shopping malls with heavy coats and some women carrying a large purse that has to be schlepped around from store to store. I guess I'm guilty as charged for doing this in the past but slowly realized these coats are often a drag on someone browsing from store to store. Whether you choose to carry it or wear it, these coats get heavy moving about.
What happens when a woman with all this physical baggage wants to try on certain items in a department store? Her friend or husband will be responsible for babysitting the purse and jacket.
Why not bring the bare essentials from home if you're only going to be using 10% of what's in the purse? Why not evaluate where we're going and only take those few items to make it easier to travel?
I'm more of a minimalist. I will bring me my keys, phone, and wallet. I leave my winter coat, gloves, and hat in the car. Full disclosure, I do not own a purse. Anyway, I will bring in a much lighter jacket knowing we have a lot of walking to do and it gets heavy either having it on your neck or carrying it. I respect winter, which means I'm prepared for it by leaving winter supplies in the car as I'm much more relaxed and comfortable mall shopping.
One more suggestion here, some say you get cold going from the car into the shopping center. For couples who are shopping together, have the husband/friend drop her off near the entrance door to reduce the frigid factor.
I would be the first to admit a woman's purse and coat may be stylish but at what cost? To me, it's much less important how stylish I am if I'm comfortable and relaxed. Being a minimalist helps me maintain that more comfortable experience. Style or Substance?
GARAGE SHELVES
I'm in Home Depot late Saturday night looking for some plywood for garage shelves. The operative word is 'garage shelves.' Very few people are working so I finally find an associate Bill, and ask him about basic shelving for my garage. He immediately points me in the direction of already made shelves that are white and the natural wood color and they are precut. I walk over and survey the choices but these shelves are much more money that I want to spend. In addition, none of these shelves fit my needed measurements. I wander back to the middle of the store and walk by Bill who asks if I found what I was looking for. I mention those shelves are precut and won't work for my garage shelves. I ask him about plain plywood that can be cut to meet my specifications and he says Home Depot can't cut plywood, this is something I'll need to do. I move to the plywood section and locate 4 by 8 foot sheets of plywood for about $22. By happenstance, I met Luis who I ask if he can cut these sheets for me. He shows me wood sheets ranging from $35 to $50 per sheet. Again, I emphasize to him that these are for the garage and don't have to be fancy or stylish. He nods his head and ask him if the less expensive sheets will do and he nods yes. He proceeds to cut the wood into smaller sizes. I take my plywood shelves out of my car onto the already installed shelving brackets and they fit. Style or Substance?
HIGH HEELS
There are some women who love to wear high heels whenever possible. They don't love how their feet may feel in these shoes, but how they look wearing them. If they are required to walk longer than they have anticipated, the pain becomes worse but apparently, they still look good wearing them. I can't paint with a broad brush and say most men don't focus on a woman's shoes, but I've come to realize women are more likely to notice. So women who love high-heels are going through this pain to more likely cater to how they look to other women?
If their job requires them to do so, I'd be the first one to show my pity on them as I wouldn't want to go through that if I were a woman. I understand special events or a cocktail party but to wear them all day or having to walk more than a short distance, that's unfortunate. Perhaps as a man, and someone who loves to be comfortable in public, people may say I lack style. It's not that I lack style, but rather, that at my age, I choose comfort over style. Style or Substance?
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