Bag Lady

I needed dog food. And I needed it yesterday. It had been a busy week and I neglected to notice that the dry dog food bag was down to crumbs. In my former life, with car, I would have run right out to the grocery store the next neighborhood over at 11:15 pm when I discovered the empty bag. But car free, that did not seem like an option. Instead, I cobbled together a breakfast of crumbs, treats and people food for the poor dog, and used this as an opportunity for growth and strength training.

I say growth because I find it very difficult to ask anyone for any help of any kind. My mother has offered to visit more often and take me in her car on errands involving heavy lifting. But this trip was too last minute for that. I saw a little grocery cart in my girlfriend's basement, and asked her if I might use that. She had a better idea. Her waterproof Ortlieb messenger bag sits in the closet unused almost all year. The 15 pound bag of dog food would easily fit inside, and she added, I would get a nod from bikers in-the-know for my savvy choice.

I did look pleasingly Euro- stylish and felt smart and fit, too. Mission accomplished.

When I am not hauling dog food for a mile back from the grocery store, I have a couple of favorite everyday bags for toting my things to and fro. My "purse" is a recycled black rubber bag that I have had for years. All of my personal items like glasses and wallet are found there. The extras that I have started carrying since commuting and walking, I throw into a reusable grocery bag- a Chico Bag. Their colors buoy me without testing my gag reflex for the over-styled, and I like being able to swap out the one I am using, when it becomes dirty, for any of my others. They are flexible and washable, though not waterproof, as is my "purse". When it rains, I keep them close to my body, or switch to a plasticized, striped beach bag-type bag I got at Ikea.

There are lots of bags out there, at the bus stops, grocery stores, and on the sidewalks. Many people are still carrying their lunches, extra shoes, and of course, groceries, in disposable plastic bags from retail stores. My mom always used one of those even though she had a car. They are not classy, but they work, and while not environmentally sound, they are re-used often. And they are cheap, at least on the surface, for the user.

I saw a display for Blue Avocado reusable bags in a natural foods store a few weeks ago. Their take on the "bring your own bags" idea is a cute kit of bags that fold up small, some like little clutch purses- and I love clutch purses. A produce bag and chilled products bag fit inside a larger tote, for example, and all are rolled up neatly together when not in use. I liked the idea, until I saw the diagram on the display. It suggested that one should buy their bags "so you'll never look like a bag lady." What's wrong with looking like a bag lady?

If carrying around your things in the most convenient, weatherproof, and most uniquely "you" way is wrong, I don't want to be right. You know where you can stuff your yuppie bags, and whatever is stuffed in them.