February 8, 2019
Dear Everyone:
Some time last year, I was wandering through one of the Big Office
Supply Warehouse Stores when I happened to find myself in the “luggage
section”. They had a number
of bags intended to be used by the Up-and-Coming-Junior-Executive who
needed something to carry all his/her stuff from home to office to
office. These included an
adorable little wheeled carry-on bag that was guaranteed to actually fit
under the airline seat in front of one, provided one had no other
carry-on stuff to actually try to manage.
And it was only about $80.
I had been thinking of what I would do the next time I had to gallop
through an airport with a purse, an extra bag for all that stuff that
won’t fit in a purse, a laptop and a collapsible cane.
This little wheeled bag seemed like a genuine possibility.
I decided to get it and “test drive” it for a while to see how well it
would work. After all, I’ve
paid more than $80 for a handbag before.
I couldn’t say exactly which one or when, but I have no doubt
that I’ve paid at least that much.
So, I went ahead and bought the little bag.
And gave it a try.
And it actually worked rather well.
It was a little larger than most handbags, some of which are
smaller than a shoebox, but it held everything and was fairly easy to
push/pull around. And the
shoulder bags that I’ve been using for decades always seemed to come in
one of two sizes: Too big
and too small.
The first few times that I left the house, my brain would send up alert
signals: “Something’s
missing! Something’s
missing!” And I would stop
and try to figure out what I had forgotten.
Then I realized that what was missing was the seven-pound bag
hanging from my shoulder. As
long as I had the little roller bag, in place of the seven-pound one,
all was well.
I did find that I had to walk around the car to place the bag in the
passenger seat, rather than just getting into the car and pulling the
bag across my lap. But that
seemed a small price to pay.
The first time I walked into my favorite restaurant for lunch, with the
roller bag, the hostess commented on it, as if to ask, “Are you going on
a trip?” When I explained
that I was trying it out in place of a regular handbag, she agreed that
it was worth the try. Then
next time I saw her, she told me that she had been shopping recently,
and wished she had a roller bag to help carry all the bags of stuff that
she had suddenly acquired.
So it seemed to be a fairly good idea.
While “Jeannie” agreed that the roller bag could be a good idea, she
felt that an even better idea would be to find one that has four wheels
instead of just two. This
was based on her actual experience of using a real suitcase to carry all
her electronic equipment that she uses to do her work.
And there was a very nice luggage store right in
Walnut Creek, where we
happened to be having lunch one weekend.
They did, indeed, have a carry-on bag with four wheels that
wouldn’t fit under the airline seat, because of the extra set of wheels,
but which was guaranteed to fit in the overhead bin.
(It does.)
It was, of course, made of very fine leather, instead of fabric, and was
actually rather heavier than the one I was using.
It also had more pockets, including a special “sleeve” to hold a
laptop. And the handle was
much sturdier.
And it was only about $600.
OK, that was a bit more than I’ve ever paid for a “handbag”.
But according to my personal financial advisor, “Percy”, I’m
worth it. I’ve been using it
for several months now. It’s
actually bigger than it needs to be, for my purposes.
But it holds everything, stands by itself, doesn’t slide off my
shoulder, and rolls along quite easily, thanks to those well-made
wheels. I’m keeping it.
Until someone invents one with a motor like those scooters that keep
showing up everywhere.
Love, as always,
Pete
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