Quiet time with my handbag

Every woman has one steadfast companion, and that’s her handbag. I believe that a woman is incomplete without her handbag, be it a tote or a satchel bag or a regular handbag.

Like millions of such women, I covet my handbags and have had wonderful memories with them.

During the week,  as I rush through my chores and endless ‘to do’ lists and appointments, my handbag gets loaded with bits of my life in various forms.

When my shoulder starts to hurt, I sit down for some quiet time with my handbag – to unload bits of my life that I have been carrying with me.

I am amazed at the amount of clutter that’s inside.  There are fading receipts for all kinds of shopping I’ve done, lists of things to do – quite a few of them, seven pens (no wonder I can’t find any of them at home), wrappers of candies, earphones, hairbrushes, wet wipes, the book I am currently reading when I am out and get to snatch a few minutes for myself, my sunglasses….there’s so much to organize. As I delve deeper, I find boarding passes from a recent trip, papers that I have filled with doodles and possible-blog ideas.

Some semblance of order is returning. My handbag looks lifeless and sags, suddenly bereft of all its contents. When I nearly reach the bottom, I confidently tip the bag upside down to clear out anything that’s left behind.

Something falls out with a gentle thud. I smile as I see a small shining stone gifted to me by my children.

They found the stone when they had gone biking a few days ago; and gave it to me, after asking me to close my eyes. When I opened my eyes, their faces sparkled with the sheer joy of giving. I had put the stone into my handbag and forgotten about it. I feel happy when I see the stone again.

My handbag carries not only the mundanities of my life but also  simple everyday memories that make life beautiful.