Month: February 2018

Posted in life

Not Me

Posted on by Dede

I, like many of you, never believed people when they said your life will go by quickly. No, I had years ahead of me. I wouldn’t grow old for eons.

Of course if you’re over 50, you now realize those people were right. I went to bed 24, newly married with a lifetime of hopes and dreams. I wake up now, I’m 58, divorced and forgotten how to dream.

Posted in life, shopping

Best Buy Confusion

Posted on by Dede

Can you explain this to me?

Okay I got the image from Best Buy website.

2 weeks ago I purchased a new MAC laptop which was regularly $1299 and was on sale for $1199. I bought two other items which were not on sale and not Apple products. I realized yesterday I bought a DVD writer and not an external Blu-ray player. I hadn’t opened the DVD writer, so I wanted to exchange it.

When I exchanged the $40 DVD writer which I apparently paid $32 receiving a 20% discount, for a $75 external Blu-ray player I was shocked when I saw my total. It said I owed $154. My math skills were perfectly able to see there was some gross error. How could I owe three times as much as I expected? $75-$32=$43 right?

I then received a very poor explanation from the manager. She explained I purchased a bundle. I explained I did not. The computer was priced at $1199 and didn’t require I buy anything else. She repeatedly told me I had purchased a bundle.

Now folks, I worked in retail a long time and I can assure you I am a savvy consumer. I’m very aware of any specials and just because I received a 20% discount on one item, doesn’t mean I bundled my purchase. If I had paid for each item separately, I would have spent $8 more but I could have then returned my unneeded DVD writer.

She never could fix the problem. Giving me the old it’s a computer glitch. Has this ever happened to anyone else? I finally gave up and just bought the external Blu-ray player for $75.

Posted in life

Do I know myself?

Posted on by Dede

Lately I’ve been asking myself several questions and I was surprised I couldn’t answer them. They aren’t difficult questions. What do I like to do? What is my personal style? What are my best qualities? What am I good at? Questions many people never ask because they already know. I thought I knew the answers to these questions but lately I’ve realized I have very little idea of who I am.

Strange because at the age of 58, society says you know yourself. You have life experience and can define who you are. Not the case for me. I think like many women, I defined myself as wife and mother. I haven’t been a wife for five years and although I’m a mother, my daughters are grown. The divorce put me in a downward spiral which I am happy to say is over.

Now I am left with so many questions. I put “me” on the back burner, completely forgetting who I am and what I like. In fact I’m not certain I ever knew the answers to those questions. As a perpetual people pleaser, it never occurred to me to even consider what I wanted.

Due to life circumstances I will be moving to a new city in about 18 months. I have no idea where I’ll be going. I’ll have to decide whether to follow my daughter and her family, move home and in with my mother, stay put here (without family or friends) or put the decision on hold and travel. My girls tell me staying here or traveling is just putting off life and living.

I think they are right. If I had the financially ability to buy a home, it might be an easier decision. Renting makes me feel rootless. My goal this year is to get to know myself and discover what I want.

I’d love to hear how you’ve learned who you are, what you’re good at, how you define yourself and how you discovered what you want in life.