the buildings were as thick as the pines in Alabama
door holders dressed in black ~gracious & warm with their welcome
shushing the noise of the streets with their smiles
I was fretful and anxious about registration until I exchanged pleasantries with the delightful receptionist
her southern charm at it’s best
lanyard and badge securely around my neck
I stepped aboard the escalator to begin the day I will not soon forget.
*******
Keep in mind
I am a former public school teacher
now stay at home, homeschooling mother of two
wife to a simple, quiet cowboy
co-owner and part-time operator of the local feed & seed.
on a field trip to
the ATLANTA MARKET !
also known as Americasmart
to market to market….
dance jiggity jig..
with a friend from high school, her mother and super quiet daughter
to say I was overstimulated would be the understatement of the year or decade maybe?!
the vastness of the buildings
number of showrooms and floors made this country girl’s head spin
and though I have never taken even a half hour of marketing
I quickly recognized they had pulled up all stops
savvy marketing strategies around every corner
enticing, tempting, whispering to the lust of the flesh
with endless CHOCOLATE & fine food…
the perfect ambiance..
a harpist on one floor
a pianist on another
soft drinks, wine, water, champagne
cupcakes, cake, & ice cream sundaes
pleading with you to
SHOP! shop! S-H-O-P!
the finest of fine
from chandeliers to “poo-pourri” (seriously?? yes. google it.)
exquisite sculptures, crystal, rugs, couches, pillows, linens & yada, yada, yada for your house
to
watches, clutches, diamonds, scarves, earrings, purses, clothes & yada, yada, yada for yourself (or your DOG?!)
the greatest things you’ve ever seen from the beach boutiques to mountain resorts
all under one roof
the varieties of shoppers was almost as diverse as the stuff
grannies with fanny packs to hotties in cocktail dresses and stilettos
we walked and walked and walked
gathering catalogs, flyers & exchanging business cards
sales pitch after sales pitch
until the doors began to close
by day’s end
I was loaded down like a pack mule wearing my backpack on the front supporting it as if I were 9 months pregnant!
walking briskly by the lady in the black, spandex cocktail dress & stilettos who politely offered me champagne and cake
feeling quite sure she was wondering “How did that loon get in here?
with the world behind us we
we headed towards the exit
once again exchanging pleasantries with the door holders whose charm was just as gracious as it had been 10 hours earlier
*********
so what???
while I was there seeing, tasting & touching LOTS & LOTS of things
that used to would have haunted me until they were mine
I realized a few things:
#1 I’m not as good physically as a I once was.. (my legs ached TERRIBLY)
#2 the desire for me to “HAVE” isn’t what it used to be
the craving to “get it”or the insistent “just gotta have it!”
was absent
and it was so refreshing….
I didn’t know how this redeemed shop-o-holic
would respond to the lavishness, the excess, the prices (which by-the-way were AWESOME!)
It was a great feeling
“post market” to not be depressed because my wish list extended that of my wallet
instead of counting my “have-nots” I wash counting my blessings
this was a big deal for me y’all..
stuff has always been a big deal to me
the queen of greed with a lustful eye for STUFF
and yet this trip was different
not at all what I had expected
yet so much more
so maybe
just maybe…..
could it be???
I am learning………….to be content
I sure hope so.
I pray so..
Paul said it was possible “to learn” to be content
and with God’s amazing grace
I believe it’s true..
how about you??
are you content? with little or much?
if this is an area where you feel as though you are treading water
I highly recommend
Calm My Anxious Heart by Linda Dillow
it is an AMAZING book about a woman’s journey to contentment
rest assured….I’ve far from “arrived” but after this trip to market
maybe I’m one trip closer to contentment than I was before I left…
blessings,
k
ps. by the way ..
I searched market over
floor after floor
showroom after showroom
and didn’t find anything that even came close to this
or this
<3