Shopping feeds my soul!
  
I’ve always loved to shop and I take the term ‘shop until you drop’ quite literally!   I love shopping so much I’ve turned it into an occupation J  There’s something very special about the way I feel when I find that perfect gift or that pair of shoes that make me look like a million dollars AND they’re comfortable.  I find the same joy helping other people shop.  As long as I’m shopping – I am happy!     
  
I’m not quite sure when my love of shopping began.  Maybe it started at the age of 12 with my yearly trips to downtown Manhattan with my girlfriend Robin during the Christmas season.  Every year we’d travel on the subway downtown to shop for gifts and then stop for dinner at one of the local restaurants.  It was the ideal ending to a day of shopping for the perfect gifts for our families.   
 
Or maybe it was the influence of my Aunt Mary, who I affectionately call ‘Tia’.  She shares my passion for strolling through aisle after aisle in search of the one shirt that calls my name… ‘Monet, Monet’.  Tia has been my partner in crime on many a shopping spree and I must admit - I think she can actually outlast me.  We have closed many malls during her yearly visits to Georgia during Christmas.  She, like me, won’t settle for anything less than that perfect gift that will bring a smile to the face of a loved one.  
 
My mother on the other hand has never shared my enthusiasm for shopping.  She often gets frustrated with my inability to run in and out of a store.  She just doesn’t understand that I feel like I’ll miss out on a great bargain or the perfect necklace for the dress I just bought, if I don’t peruse the ENTIRE store.  However, a recent experience brought her a little more appreciation for my shop-aholic ways.  
 
Last year, my mother was diagnosed with colorectal cancer.  She was living in Alabama at the time and would have to stay with us in Georgia during her treatments.  It was hard watching her go through chemotherapy and radiation as well as several operations.  She swiftly dropped down from a size 12 to a size 2, looking like skin and bones.  My mother, such a strong woman, now seemed so frail.  But her spirit was strong and carried her through her recovery like a stallion and she is now cancer free!!  Part of her recovery was to allow me to help her pick out a new wardrobe.  Her old clothes were much too big and made her look even smaller than she actually was.  What a blast we had shopping hours on end.  The final result brought joy to my heart seeing her look so beautiful again.  Now she has become quite the fashion diva and feels good about her new body.
 
As it turns out, shopping is not only good for my soul, it’s been good for hers as she continues to celebrate life!  So, whatever you are celebrating, whether it’s surviving cancer, finding new love or getting rid of an old one… shop therapy works wonders!