A couple of weeks ago I bought a bunch of new stuff and man did it feel good! 

First up were the shoes. I’d been wearing the same black New Balance athletic shoes for biking and walking for something like the past five years. They were worn out and no longer felt good on my feet. I replaced these with a pair of Sketchers walking shoes. My entire body feels different when I’m wearing these, it’s literally like walking around with a memory foam mattress beneath my feet. Next up were the jeans. My old ones were nice and worn-in but a while back I had torn a small hole in the right thigh while pruning rose bushes. The hole had grown to the size of a dime. I could have patched it… if I wanted to go around looking like a hobo, so I bought a new pair at Old Navy and even received an unexpected 20% discount at the register. It was clearly my lucky day! The final stop on my makeover tour was the Ulta beauty store. Talk about Girlville, I was the only guy in the store ( I think the person who rung up my purchase was trans but who can tell these days?) For $10.99 I bought the best hairbrush I’ve ever owned. It’s sleek and solid black and fits into the palm of my hand. The bristles are soft, thin and comb-like. What hair I have left is pretty thin so it feels like I’m getting a scalp massage every time I use it.

Like most guys, I’m not a big fan of shopping. My trips to the store are typically short-and-sweet surgical strikes. I go in, get what I’m looking for and make a beeline for the door. Getting new stuff isn’t really about the “stuff” anyway, It’s more about how the new stuff makes me feel, it’s like getting  a mini psychological lift. Making big changes in life can be daunting, but it’s easy to make the little ones. When life gets overwhelming, for example right now when the political situation in our country seems so hopeless, making a small but quantifiable change can be quite fulfilling. Pruning our fruit trees, tuning up my bicycle, cleaning the house or giving a couple of tangerines to a hungry person on the street are simple acts with quantifiable results. Anyway, these Sketchers are so damn comfy and my new jeans aren’t marred by any holes and the brush? One word for you: luxurious! At the rate my hair is falling out, brushing it may soon be a thing of the past. 

So what happened to the old stuff? The hairbrush went into the trash, the  jeans and shoes were donated to Goodwill. Oh, by the way, three months ago I purchased a new acoustic guitar, a high-end Martin OM-28. Talk about change! But that’s a story for another day.