A 50-cent phone charm from the Goodwill on Route 29 adorns my Samsung SCH-u740 cell phone. The charm is a character from this summer’s Olympic games in Beijing with red tassels symbolizing luck. I am always amazed by the number of useful items one can acquire at thrift stores, although I have never been one to shop extensively at such shops — except for themed parties of course.
I have never believed in superstitions, mystic cults or ritual sacrifices, but since I bought my phone charm, my luck has been improving — maybe. The last couple of weeks have been a period of rejuvenation and constant uplift. My social life has been booming, my friends and I are getting along, schoolwork is not only interesting but also easy, sleep has not been lost to work at the same extent as before and everything is pretty much perfect. But to ascribe all of this good fortune to the charm would be foolish, and I prefer to build my castles with sand, not wishes.
My other phone charm broke off of my phone after a faithful six months together — it was a Skelanimal I ordered online last semester: a dead bunny, very cute. I remember sitting in the stacks of Clark Library, trying to write a paper and instead, shopping online for none other than phone charms. I have issues. The shipping and handling fees were more than the charm, but I did not care. I was just happy to have one. Anyway, our life together ended when it fell off my phone and in desperation, I searched online again. Nothing could replace the original, but when I happened upon my present charm in Goodwill, it was love at first sight.
Thinking about what I just wrote, I realize that I do in fact have some serious issues and that the matter at hand is bigger — no pun intended — than any online or other purchase. I buy not because I need, but in order to fill. I fill in time with online or physical shopping, either when I am bored or trying to take my mind off of whatever I’m doing, and I buy in an attempt to fill in that empty space within me. Church leaders have always preached that if a person ever experiences wanting, he or she is craving God, and when it comes to God, there is no substitute. Even knowing this, I still desire material goods.
My most recent online purchase was a pair of khaki pants from American Eagle Outfitters. They came, they’re comfortable, I love them, but I have already been scoping out a T-shirt and jeans from other vendors. Is it the purchasing aspect that is so thrilling or is it the anticipation of an incoming package?
About a month ago, I ordered a scarf for my friend’s birthday and when the package arrived, it was completely empty. I sit on Bice Area Council and the issue of stolen packages has been addressed on numerous occasions but to no avail because of one simple number: three. Bice dormitory has the zip code 22903, not 22904 like most other University buildings and because of this little digit, packages for Bice residents cannot go to Emmet dormitory or to Newcomb Hall, where Brown College residents pick up their mail. Instead, the packages are left in the doorway for any passing vagabond or scoundrel to take. I was told that more than 100 packages were reported stolen last year and who knows how many went unreported. My package was not stolen by any Bice resident though; my thief knew better than that. The scarf and information sheets were stolen at a post office somewhere outside of Charlottesville because the empty box had a stamp on it that read: “Charlottesville Post Office, received without contents.” I know we live in a bubble here at the University, and the honor code does not apply to the country as a whole, but what ever happened to rectitude? I hope the villain is enjoying that scarf, especially with the onset of the slightly warmer weather that we’ve been experiencing.
Nevertheless, with my second to last order having gone terribly awry, I was skeptical about ordering something with a recognizable name, but I went ahead and the outcome has been glorious. Or has it? Was my package being stolen a sign that I wont find what I’m looking for in a box or a store, even a virtual one? I love receiving packages so much that it sometimes makes me wonder if I buy things just for the boxes they come in. Getting packages make me feel special and thought of, even temporarily — is that so wrong?
No need to reply, we all know the answer, and I would suggest that my change in mentality has not been the result of a lucky phone charm, but rather the inclusion of the Lord in more of my daily thoughts and activities. A friend and I have been memorizing and meditating on a verse a week for the last couple of weeks and this book I have been reading, “Classic Christianity,” has offered me a fresh and much-needed perspective on my life. My behavior and mental state are lighter, and my life is more balanced. Presidents may change, new styles may emerge and while I may never be able to completely abandon my useless late night purchases, I know that some things never change, one love never fades and some truths are eternal.
Now I just need to find a nice pair of ice hockey pants if I ever want to dominate Broomball this Friday — looks like I’m going shopping...
Ian’s column runs biweekly Thursdays. He can be reached at i.smith@cavalierdaily.com.
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