Shopper's delight

I had a break through today. It came unexpectedly when my sister came home from work and realized she didn't have the key to her apartment. She had to wait over an hour for her husband to come home so I suggested I pick her up and we hang out since she had a rough day. We headed for the local mall. After a stop at Starbucks, a waltz through Victoria's Secret (which unfortunately has tacky incredibly sexual innuendos on all of their clothes, which mostly preteens buy) and a disappointing mosey through Gap, we decided to drool over all the clothes we try to convince ourselves we can afford at Anthropologie.

Amongst the ruffles knitwear and beading, I feel in love. With a jacket. A beautiful cape jacket I imagined myself strolling around New York in with elbow length gloves and jean colored leggings. Imagining was as close I was going to be unless I wanted to make a serious dent in my savings. My sister, aware of my new heartbreak after seeing the price tag, made me a promise. She said if I could get an interview for a full time job in the next week, she would purchase the coat for me.

I have found my inspiration. Something to keep me going after weeks of little hope in terms of job prospects, I have something to remind myself that this hunt is difficult but I must prevail. Even beyond the following week, I have a reminder of what I'm really working towards. The coat is really symbol of the person I'd like to become: an independent, well dressed woman who is making progress in her life. A woman who knows what she wants and is on her way to achieving it.

I printed out a full page image of the coat and tacked it to the bulletin board above my computer. Everyday the head-less mannequin looks at me and reminds me why I wake up in the morning and spend hours on the computer re-writing cover letters and scouring the Internet. I have a long ways to go, and in order to get there I need to keep working and stay focused. So for now: Happy hunting! And even happier dreaming.