What’s in Your Handbag?
All those things that go with you everywhere you go… do you really need ALL of them?
I reached between the seats to the backseat, where her purse was on the floor. It was the size of a grocery bag and it weighed a ton.
“What the hell do you have in this thing?”
“Everything.”
—Michael Connelly, The Gods of Guilt
I was with a dear friend one evening when her husband offered to put her “purse” (read: bag the size of a small suitcase) in the car so that she wouldn't have to lug it around.
Spilling out of that thing was a tangle of earphones, a massive keychain with a metal ornament that weighed about ten pounds, and who knows what else. It was so full of stuff she struggled to zip it closed. I watched her clutch that thing even closer when her husband asked again. I could see by her squinting eyes that giving up this precious cargo was going to take some time. I can't go anywhere without my purse! What if I need . . .
None of it is conscious, of course.
Yes, she wanted to carry it. So habituated to the tether, it had never occurred to her that she had a choice. After some lighthearted ribbing and a quick tour of the minimal handbag I was carrying, my friend realized that it was safe to go native.1
Is there anything in your purse (wallet, backpack) that doesn't need to be there?
If so, what would it take (and feel like) to let some of it go?
With awareness.
It may even put a little spring in your step.
Just sayin’.
Ahhh 👜
PS… Speaking of lightening things up, keep scrolling to see what actor Jennifer Garner stashes in her bag. It might surprise you…😉
Video clip
Jennifer Garner unloads…
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Excerpted from Day 64 — “The Mighty Purse,” A Year to Clear: A Daily Guide to Creating Spaciousness in Your Home and Heart by Stephanie Bennett Vogt © Hierophant Publishing, 2015.
Hmm sadly due to my disabilities getting worse, I have had to add more "stuff", I used to get away with just wallet and keys in a pocket!
I proudly carry my small handbag, phone, readers, small wallet, sunglasses, pen, chapstick....very rarely do i need anything else. And when i do there is always that friend who has everything lol. (or a store nearby)