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Taking the Extra Step ... To enjoy one of my favorite things
Every other month, Dana & I go to Barnes & Noble. For Dana, since she’s an avid reader, it’s a candy shop filled with beautiful artwork on book sleeves and words 
within that take her to another place for a couple days as she reads a new book. And for me, it’s time to pick up the latest edition of Daphne’s Diary and to browse for books I may want to buy for my Kindle.
If you’re not familiar with Daphne’s Diary, it’s a beautiful magazine filled with crafts, nature, recipes, and some beautiful photos. It’s one of my guilty pleasures. And if you wondering why I don’t have this magazine delivered to my home, here’s why … The magazine is published in the UK and there is a service where I can have it delivered to my home. It’s expensive and though I wouldn’t mind paying the extra fee, the primary reason why I don’t subscribe is very intentional.
1. Retail Therapy.
Going to B&N every other month allows me some much needed “retail therapy”. Back in the day, when I was working my way up the HR ladder, I would stop on my way home at TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Target, or Joann and just browse to clear my head after the craziness of the day. Why did I go a store instead of to the Adoration Chapel at church or anywhere else? I love to see all the different things that are new and exciting in the store. And what colors and styles are popular now. Also, I loved the fun of hunting for a bargain. But mostly, I love to see how they’re displaying things and what they put on their end caps and on special tables, etc. (Maybe it’s the organizer in me who likes that last part, I don’t know for sure.)
within that take her to another place for a couple days as she reads a new book. And for me, it’s time to pick up the latest edition of Daphne’s Diary and to browse for books I may want to buy for my Kindle. If you’re not familiar with Daphne’s Diary, it’s a beautiful magazine filled with crafts, nature, recipes, and some beautiful photos. It’s one of my guilty pleasures. And if you wondering why I don’t have this magazine delivered to my home, here’s why … The magazine is published in the UK and there is a service where I can have it delivered to my home. It’s expensive and though I wouldn’t mind paying the extra fee, the primary reason why I don’t subscribe is very intentional.
1. Retail Therapy.
Going to B&N every other month allows me some much needed “retail therapy”. Back in the day, when I was working my way up the HR ladder, I would stop on my way home at TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Target, or Joann and just browse to clear my head after the craziness of the day. Why did I go a store instead of to the Adoration Chapel at church or anywhere else? I love to see all the different things that are new and exciting in the store. And what colors and styles are popular now. Also, I loved the fun of hunting for a bargain. But mostly, I love to see how they’re displaying things and what they put on their end caps and on special tables, etc. (Maybe it’s the organizer in me who likes that last part, I don’t know for sure.)
Now, especially since we’ve all been home for the past 4 months, retail therapy is almost as important as eating healthy and getting regular exercise. So at the as soon as we felt it was safe enough in May, Dana and I donned our face masks and headed to B&N. And we’ve been back a couple times since!
2. Quality Time with my Daughter.
Because Dana loves to read and finds book covers artistic, taking a trip to the bookstore is special time for us to spend together. We both enjoy going to the “library where you can talk” and then get to talk about the neat things we discovered during our outing. Because I enjoy my daughter’s company and I know my time with her is becoming more limited, any time we can spend together doing something we both love is a major bonus and I’ll keep it going as long as I can!
3. It’s like going on a hunt.
Each time we go, I’m hopeful that they still have a copy in stock. Like a child who’s entering the gates of a theme park and ready to run the first ride, I’m a little anxious because I’m not sure if they’ll have the latest edition in yet OR if they’ll have any left on the magazine rack. Because they don’t get many in stock, I want to make sure I get there in time to get MY copy.
Though I know I could call and have set a copy aside for me, I like the unplanned, child-like game of the process. Sometimes it’s fun to have that rush of anticipation. And fortunately, there’s only been one time where we’ve gone to the store and it’s not been available. And while I was disappointed, I did find something else to grab my attention. So it was still a good trip to the store!
4. The library experience.
I referred earlier to B&N as the “library where we can talk”. As a child and young adult, I always enjoyed going to the library - the quiet, serene feel I got by being around people who were either reading or studying and trying to find a book (either one I was specifically looking for or seeking something new). It’s almost church-like, it’s so quiet. Its a place where you can just sit in a comfy chair and browse through a book or magazine.
And that’s one of the things I love about B&N in particular. Though I don’t usually spend much time in a comfy chair (I’m not sure if they have them around anymore), I do usually take my Daphne’s Diary and sit on a bench for a couple minutes to flip through the pages, just to see what I have to look forward to when I get home.
So even though I could have Daphne’s Diary delivered directly to my house, the experience of me going to Barnes & Noble, exploring the store, locating a copy, going to the register, and making my purchase is what I prefer to do at this point in my life. Having the experience and time with Dana and the serenity & happiness it brings me is worth the extra effort.
2. Quality Time with my Daughter.
Because Dana loves to read and finds book covers artistic, taking a trip to the bookstore is special time for us to spend together. We both enjoy going to the “library where you can talk” and then get to talk about the neat things we discovered during our outing. Because I enjoy my daughter’s company and I know my time with her is becoming more limited, any time we can spend together doing something we both love is a major bonus and I’ll keep it going as long as I can!
3. It’s like going on a hunt.
Each time we go, I’m hopeful that they still have a copy in stock. Like a child who’s entering the gates of a theme park and ready to run the first ride, I’m a little anxious because I’m not sure if they’ll have the latest edition in yet OR if they’ll have any left on the magazine rack. Because they don’t get many in stock, I want to make sure I get there in time to get MY copy.
Though I know I could call and have set a copy aside for me, I like the unplanned, child-like game of the process. Sometimes it’s fun to have that rush of anticipation. And fortunately, there’s only been one time where we’ve gone to the store and it’s not been available. And while I was disappointed, I did find something else to grab my attention. So it was still a good trip to the store!
4. The library experience.
I referred earlier to B&N as the “library where we can talk”. As a child and young adult, I always enjoyed going to the library - the quiet, serene feel I got by being around people who were either reading or studying and trying to find a book (either one I was specifically looking for or seeking something new). It’s almost church-like, it’s so quiet. Its a place where you can just sit in a comfy chair and browse through a book or magazine.
And that’s one of the things I love about B&N in particular. Though I don’t usually spend much time in a comfy chair (I’m not sure if they have them around anymore), I do usually take my Daphne’s Diary and sit on a bench for a couple minutes to flip through the pages, just to see what I have to look forward to when I get home.
So even though I could have Daphne’s Diary delivered directly to my house, the experience of me going to Barnes & Noble, exploring the store, locating a copy, going to the register, and making my purchase is what I prefer to do at this point in my life. Having the experience and time with Dana and the serenity & happiness it brings me is worth the extra effort.
What is something you love, that you know you could have delivered to you easily, but you decide to take the longer route to get it? If you haven’t taken the time to enjoy it recently, I hope you take a couple extra minutes this week to do so!
Until next time,
Kathleen
P.S. While writing this, I started thinking about all kinds of favorite things, including some of our customer’s favorite Knots of Grace products. So I thought, Why Knots?! share some with you here?! So here you go ... These are a few that bring them comfort and joy. Feel free to click on any of the images to learn more about them (and maybe bring some of the comfort & joy into your home)!
Thanks, Susan! You would love this magazine! And I agree – we need to keep returning to the bookstore so it’s still there in the future. 💖
I love your reasons for going to the bookstore! Another reason, so they will be there for years to come. Great inspiration today! I had never heard of this magazine.
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