A Little Shopping in My Life...

“We cannot know. But sometimes there is kindness, and sometimes there is love.” ~ Guy Gavriel Kay: Children of Earth & Sky.

So the CG had a birthday & accumulated a vast amount of cash to be redeemed at Koorong, the big Christian bookstore.  Since she was going I rounded up Rabqa with an eye to next year's bible study ~ & bummed out.  What passes as a study mostly drives me nutty as I find them shallow, mostly reformed in theology [though I was super pleased to see Bethel had a couple of things on the shelves], & so superficial I wonder that anyone, anywhere, gets anything out of them.  As Rabqa pointed out we are used to getting the best of the best.

I'm not a super great teacher.  What I am super great at is facilitating.  I am happy to wade through heaps & heaps of material in order to find teaching that will be really useful & helpful.  A lot of that is actually from on~line preaching & I can assure you that  if you can't handle strong meat our studies are not for you.  That's just how it is. 

Actually, we may use one of the Bethel studies so I have bought the handbook & Rabqa & I will have a look & see if we want to pursue it.  I wanted to look at Bevere's The Bait of Satan but everything, including the workbook, had sold out so will have to try again.  I did order Cahn's newest one & walked out with a book on evangelism for one of our members as she has asked for teaching & I just feel very inadequate to give her the instruction she needs.  I grinned at Rabqa as I payed & admitted I was actually spending my clothing allowance on books but they will wear better & last longer & give me far greater pleasure than any item of clothing could.  I think she was rather appalled.  As I have no clothes sense my aversion to clothes is understandable.

I did, however,  organise with ODD to go clothes shopping on Saturday.  I walked into the first shop & despaired.  The choice was overwhelming but I liked nothing I could see & what I might have liked caused immediate tactile issues.  I cannot abide anything that itches, scratches, rubs, droops, drops, rustles etc.  It has to be pretty soft.  It has to be utterly comfortable.  It has to be something I think is pretty.  Preferably it will be in a natural [or near natural] fabric. I am incredibly fussy & yep, I like odd things so I am not easy to buy for.  After 10 minutes I was ready to head home without a single item of clothing.  ODD rolled her eyes ~ but hey, I have shopped with her for years & you have NO idea!

So, said ODD, if I choose some things you have to at least try them on.  Agreed.  She found 2 of the 3 tops I eventually bought.  I did find some sandals I can abide & which almost fit. Trying to look respectable as well as comfortable for church is exceedingly hard work when you are something of a slob & have no clothes sense whatsoever!  The bonus is we finally, finally, finally found the girl bras that fit:10Gs!!!! At least now she knows where to look next time she needs them.

To compensate for having to torture myself in the name of decency we detoured at the book shop on the way out & I have indulged myself.  I adore Guy Gavriel Kay.  He's not to everyone's taste.  He sort of writes history.  He sort of writes fantasy.  The elixir is a heady mix.  He writes in a High Bardic style: beautiful, poetic, whimsical.  His latest offering is nearly 6" thick.  I am in heaven.