One was resolved the other night. Well, actually it was resolved a long time ago. Way back when I decided that education was important and worth investing money and time into. That would be about 4 years ago. It’s hard to believe that it’s been that long since I was looking at colleges, and making that “big step”. So the other night, when I had to purchase textbooks for the spring semester of my senior year, I could lay out the "plata". I don’t like the tune of $192, but it’s really quite low as far as textbook prices go. I’m sharing books with friends, and one class doesn’t even require a text. Ceramics. I can’t wait for that class- to feel the silky, sometimes obstinate clay beneath my fingers. I know that my obsession with the stuff will require long hours of my day- hours that I don’t really have. But I’m taking the class with one of my dearest friends, who happens to also be my roommate. So, when I typed in my credit card information to somehow magically transfer funds to the people who have the books, I had faith that they would arrive, and that the knowledge I will gain from these texts will be worth my investment. Dilemma number one: solved.
The next dilemma was on a much smaller scale. My recipe for pancakes called for 4 cups of rolled oats (I was doubling the recipe for a group of friends), and 4 cups of yogurt or buttermilk to soak them in. My yogurt is too precious to put 4 cups of it INSIDE pancakes. On top, perhaps. But not hidden inside all that gooey doughey-ness of delightful cakes. So, I cheated. I only put 1 cup of yogurt, then I put 2 cups of milk (of less value than yogurt, because I spent time on making the yogurt), and thinned it out with 1 cup of water. I don’t think anyone could even tell the difference! These pancakes are delicious, and hearty- so, I don’t think my frugality was too much of an issue.
My upcoming dilemma is yet unresolved. So, you see, I don’t like having lots of pairs of shoes. I feel that my society puts a lot of pressure on me to have the right footwear, though, so I recently caved in and bought a pair of $30 pumps that I plan to wear to a graduate school interview (if I ever get one…). I was okay with purchasing those, because, like the textbooks, they are an investment in my future education. But there’s another pair of shoes that I feel like I “need” to buy. You see, I have a pair of flats that I bought for $3 a few years ago, and I wore them a lot. They are tan, and I wore them with just about every outfit.
I took them to Africa with me. Constant contact with the soil was a bit much for them, and so the cobbler at the corner of Kabalagala and Zzimwe streets stitched them up for me- almost as good as new.
So I brought them home again (nearly 2 years ago), and I’ve been wearing them ever since. Or rather, I was wearing them. Until my roommate threw them in the trash, telling me that they are not healthy for my feet. I pulled them out of the trash. But then it became too cold to wear shoes that have dime-sized holes in the bottom, so they are simply languishing in a drawer.
I have one other pair of flats- but they are basically moccasins (fake moccasins, not to be confused with the real moccasins that I made out of deer hide). The cost of these flimsy shoes was $20. And they weren’t worth it. They wore thin very quickly. Nothing like those $3 flats. And I have 2 other pairs of shoes that I wear during the winter- one is a pair of pink boots from a friend who now lives in TX and doesn’t need them any more. The other pair is a pair of brown clogs. And I shuffle when I wear them. A man at work asked me to stop shuffling. And then, guess who, my roommate also asked me to stop shuffling. She reminded me that my feet are important, and I should take care of them. Yes, I should, but I spent money on these clogs. I feel guilty not wearing them. So now, I think that I want to invest in Toms. It sounds like a good idea- if I buy a pair for myself, a pair will also be sent to a child in need. They can be worn with many different outfits, and they’re pretty trendy right now. But I don’t know if I want to give in to the trend. This will take a few more days of consideration…
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