The only type of purse I had as a child growing up was the one that fit my baseball glove and practice gear. Now as I grow I begin to collect purses like others collect shoes. My purses have become a part of me everywhere I go. Without a purse I feel naked or incomplete as though I am not all together there.

My grandmother gave my very first purse to me - a simple black conservative purse. At least that’s how it started and then it began to grow and collect things. Like the moldy sandwich you find under your bed and all you can do is wonder where it all began. For a few years I stayed in that conservative phase of simple one-toned purses with no life but the one I showed them. They were safe except for the black hole that lurked among them. I didn’t want to stand out and those purses were just wanted I needed. Now I realize that I love to stand out. It puts a smile to my face when someone strikes up a conversation with me about my purse. Of course now I take my purses a little bit more personally.

To me my purses are my dreams; they are my escape from reality. Each and every one has a story that I have made up for it. Some about glamorous, elegant women whose lives you could only dream of. Others about normal everyday women going about just living. Sometimes I make myself the leading lady in a foreign land living the life of a fairy tale. For now as my life is still being defined and discovered I will continue to look at the purses and continue to dream. Until one day I awaken and live the life I have yet to dream.