Shop-a-holic

"Hi, everyone. My name is Sarah and I am a shop-a-holic."

I don't know what it is that I find so appealing about shopping, but I can't seem to stop doing it. Maybe it's sewn into the threads of my gender, or maybe it's a stereotype that I have picked up somewhere along the way (that of, girls love to shop.) Whatever the case may be, I can't remember a time when I didn't love going to the mall to shop.

In fact, it doesn't even need to be the mall. It could be Target. It could be the grocery store. It could even be some random book store. If they sell things, I find myself drawn to the place. I can't explain it.

I always knew I loved to shop, but it never fully "hit me" until a few weeks ago when I was doing laundry. I looked at all of the clothes that I had just taken out of the dryer and was about to hang up when I realized, "I didn't own ANY of these clothes when I lived in Utah a few months ago." I have bought myself a completely new wardrobe. Yet, every time I go to the GAP, I find a new sweater I simply "have to have."

We all have things that make us "feel good." Some people work out, some people write music, some people volunteer with charities or non-profit organizations. Me? I shop.

Maybe it's not the most noble way to feel better, or even the most productive way... But the bottom line is, I'm still "okay" with that. My checking account suffers, but my closet flourishes. And somehow, it seems like a fair trade.

Wow. Talk about fitting a stereotype, huh?

How about you? What stereotype do YOU fit??