All above photos taken at Kendra Vermeer's fabulous Phoenix Shop "SAGE"
How many of you profess to be an 'After Christmas' Shopper? You know, when Sales abound and perhaps those special items you were lusting over prior to the big day weren't snapped up and put underneath someone else's Tree and you might still have a chance at it! I can't say that I'm an After Christmas Shopper so much anymore... used to be... oh, yes, you'd often find me waking at first daylight the day after in hopes of finding Holiday Decor marked down at a deep discount. Or doing the Christmas Shopping for my own gifts when I'd have the luxury of not so much time constraints, not dealing with the crowds of Holiday Shoppers, not so madly busy and committed to other activities and Seasonal work. You see I like to Shop and browse at leisure, I like to feast my eyes as much as I enjoy finding Found Treasures. And though I LOVE a bargain as much as the next Treasure Hunter I find that at this Season of life I don't take as many chances of waiting to make those special purchases. If there is something I adore I'm much more likely now to budget for it earlier instead of waiting and taking the risk it won't be there after a major Holiday where others are avidly searching out the perfect Gifts. That goes for Holiday decor as well... used to be most, if not all, of my Seasonal Decor was found on Sale and would patiently wait until next year to make their debut in our Home. But as I get older I'm finding that I tend to live more in the moment and want to enjoy things in THIS moment of time and not assume I'll have that future moment in time to wait for. Maybe its a sense of one's own mortality as we reach our later Seasons of life... maybe we just realize that waiting and delaying is just not something we want to do so much anymore... whatever the reasons... I'm rather glad that I'm choosing to live more right now and not wait on those things that bring me the most enjoyment, the most Joy and fond memories. And its not as if I won't occassionally wait or hit an After Season Sale now and again and score a few mark downs that I'd eyeballed prior to the Holidays... but its just not a priority now or something I anticipate. Because pretty much I've already received everything that I truly want or need in life, the important things, and everything else is just window dressing or icing on the cake and I could live without if I wanted to or needed to. And having a relaxed contented feeling about my life, relationships and my activities is what I cherish most now in this Season of life... because our Time is after all our most precious and priceless "Gift" isn't it, and it's not something that can be purchased so we should spend it well and with few regrets ... Dawn... The Bohemian