The Perfect Present

Elizabeth and I went shopping this weekend (the Woodbury Outlets are my new favorite, ever), and I fully expected to find some great clothes. My last shopping experience should have prepared me for the worst, because although we did find some great bargains, I was overall unimpressed with the clothing selection out there.

Everything in the regular retail stores and the outlets are all fall clothes. I cannot try on a long-sleeved shirt or sweater when it is approximately 126 degrees outside. Just last week, I went into a J. Crew, hoping to find some cute summer skirts, since summer in NC will last for another 6 months. I knew the fall clothes were in, so I was hoping for some summer sales. Nothing. Not even a single pair of shorts in the entire store (I kid you not).

This is like Halloween and Christmas all over again. Just when you're pulling out your summer flip flops, the stores are selling Halloween stuff. And before you can say "Trick or Treat", the Christmas ornaments are on display. Why do we, as a society, always look for the next best thing, rather than enjoying the present? The here and now?

I don't want to think about fall. Fall means back-to-school and autumn leaves and cool, brisk mornings. All of these things I love, but I also love summer. The 126 degree weather and the lazy Sundays by the pool and wedding traveling. Summer has just begun and I want to savor the time that it's here.

So let's boycott the fall clothes (for the time being) and enjoy what is going on right now. The present. Let's enjoy summer and then, when the Earth's rotation decides that summer must end, only then should we start thinking about fall. Then I'll buy that jean jacket I've been eyeing at the Gap since June.