<\/p>\n
On more than one occasion last week, I sounded a lot like an infomercial.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As I\u2019ve brought up the object of my admiration multiple times, several people in the newsroom have asked where the studio audience is \u2014 and why I\u2019m not pointing at a toll-free number.<\/p>\n
Ironically, all my cheerleading is for something I didn\u2019t even know I wanted.\u00a0My over-the-top enthusiasm is for an item that I bought for my older daughter for Christmas and didn’t return.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Granted, I didn’t return it because I tried it and could tell that this thing had the potential to be life-changing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I was right.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She had asked for a roller bag for Christmas\u00a0\u2014 not a suitcase, but a bag that she could use to roll her groceries from her car and up the elevator to her apartment, or down the street to the corner store. She broke her right arm about a year ago. Even though it’s much better, she is limited on what she can carry. She thought the rolling bag could be a great solution.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
So, I researched roller bags and found that a bag by a company called “Hulken” was generally considered to be among the best.\u00a0The bags are not cheap \u2014 even on sale.\u00a0On Black Friday, I bought a medium-sized one for $97\u00a0\u2014 which is still a lot of money, but this daughter rarely asks for anything.<\/p>\n
I wanted to give her something that would make daily life a little less tiring, a little easier and maybe a little less frustrating.<\/p>\n
On Christmas morning, she opened the gift and seemed delighted. Later, I learned that she had already bought a different (less expensive) rolling bag. I told her I would give her the money and send this one back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And, like I said, then I used it.<\/p>\n
This is where the story turns, morally speaking.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
It has changed my life.<\/p>\n
For all of my days, I’ve had a problem of forgetting to bring things with me in the morning on my way to school or work. With this giant, impossible to miss bag, whenever I think of it, I just place the item inside. The bag, which holds up to 66 pounds, is so lightweight that I have no problem transporting it up and down stairs\u00a0\u2014 after all, this is the stuff I would typically be carrying in my arms.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What I didn\u2019t realize until now is how much low-grade stress I carry around trying not to forget things \u2014 and how much lighter life feels when that stress rolls beside you instead of hanging from your arms.<\/p>\n
And the rolling!<\/p>\n
Honestly, sometimes I find myself smiling because it rolls so smoothly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n