My Goldilocks Bag

I’m on the hunt again, and I blame my husband.
I’ve been perfectly content with my current purse for almost a year. It’s a compact nylon bag by Karst with room for all my cards, money and small items. It fits neatly into a larger bag, and carries easily over my shoulder. Fully functional, though not gorgeous. However, my bag needs and wants go further that it can provide, and that’s where the problem lies.

I have a baby. That means, whenever I leave the house with her, I need to carry some stuff. It doesn’t have to be a full-blown diaper bag, but a few things (snacks, a diaper, a book). I need either a bigger bag to hold everything, or something I can toss my purse into. As it is I’ve been carrying shopping bags with the extra items – awkward and ugly. I’m also a person. I like to go out with a book and my tea mug, sometimes some files, and sit and read and write. Sometimes I run little errands and want to fit a few more things into my bag. Once you start adding up all these items, you can end up with a big, ugly bag. I want a smallish, cute purse. That is the crux of my search.

I would have ignored the situation for a while, but husband catalyzed me. I mentioned seeing a certain designer’s bags at the Bay – I recalled the name from lusting after a colleague’s purse last spring (so unprofessional – I saw her speaking at an event and all I could really remember was her purse!). Husband went down to the Bay and bought me one of his bags. Yes he did. It was lovely, but the actual style was a bit too big (so looked awkward on me) and pocket-y (so looked kind of funny). Since then I’ve been back a few times, and looked at the selection at another store, but still can’t decide. I’ve found lovely smallish bags that would hold tea and a book, but not a diaper or kids’ snacks. I’ve seen larger bags that would hold it all, but they start to feel cavernous and look huge on my short frame. One is promising but not ideal for holding a mug. What to do?

Now, of course, I can’t stop thinking about bags. Whereas before I was content with what I had, now I am desperate for the day when I can settle into my new, perfect bag. Going on errands will be more fun with this bag; doing outings with baby will be easier with this bag. But will I ever find the one, perfect bag for all my needs?