Gotta Have It!

 

            For my birthday last year, Ryan gifted me a beautiful handmade purse. It’s the first time in my life I’ve ever gotten a purse that didn’t come from a big box store clearance rack, and I’ve carried it every day since I received it. I love it and plan to carry it for the long haul! But it is significantly smaller than the cheap purses I’ve gotten in the past. To be fair, those were akin to carry-on suitcases. When I downsized, I had to pick and choose the things that I needed most every day.

            I hate admitting this out loud, but it turns out I didn’t actually need everything from the carry-on! (WHAT!?)

            Here are the top things I carry with me and refuse to travel without:

Phone cord and cube. Years ago, Ryan and I went to the emergency room to see a friend of ours who had rushed her daughter there because of scary breathing issues. When we arrived, she had 1% left on her phone battery – and no charger. She’d run out of the house without one. Because of the aforementioned carry-on, I had a cord and cube with me, so we left them with her to have for the remainder of the time she stayed there that night. She told us later that was a life-saver, because she was able to send updates to her husband who was home with their son. After that, I vowed to never be without a way to charge my phone (and all possible accessories for it).

Lipstick. I do not have a lot of natural color in my lips, so without lipstick, I look fairly sick/dead. I only have two colors – one bold and one neutral – and I store them both in my purse so I always have them right there if I need to spruce up. It saves room in the makeup case in the bathroom and keeps me ready to look alive!

Essential oils. I keep the majority of my oils collection at home, but I keep a few bottles in my purse. If I’m out and about and don’t feel well (or just need an aromatic pick-me-up) I have the most-commonly used ones in my purse in case of emergency.

A love note from Ryan. Several years ago, I made a stupid mistake (honestly don’t even remember now what it was) that cost $20 to fix. I took $20 from my drive-kids-to-school job I had at the time and gave it to Ryan to cover whatever I had done wrong. Yes, it’s all our collective money, but in my mind, if I had to give up some of my fun money to repair what I’d broken, maybe it would help me learn my lesson. (I’m great at self-parenting.) That same day, I found the $20 on my desk with a note from Ryan on top that said, “I love you.” What a gift of compassion he gave me that day, and I still carry it to remind me of who he is and how well he loves.

A pen. You just never know when you’re going to need a pen. I’ve been stranded without one before, and sometimes lipstick really cannot substitute.

 

Those are my top five must haves in my everyday purse. What do you make sure you have with you every single day?