$12,000.

i've been busy. very busy.

getting ready for the annual designer kids resale sale. sounds like fun, right? no. not right. not fun. a bit sad (all those memories). a bit overwhelming (too much stuff) and a bit depressing (did we really need all these clothes? did we need to spend all this money? sure they looked, cute, but really?).

just as i was waxing poetic in my mind and to my friend about all the waste. all the expense, all the craziness of being a mom who likes to dress her children well, another saler stepped up. get this. i mean. seriously. get this.

me: "i spend way too much on my kid's clothing." i've got a problem."

her: "really?"

friend: "me, too. that and baby producing. those are my problems."

her: "but it's fun"

us: "sure is, but look what we end up doing with them later."

us: "reselling them out of a garage."

her: "i went into my favorite store the other day."

me: "yes?"

her: "i asked what i had spent this year in there."

me and friend: "really?"

me: "you wanted to know? i don't think i could handle that kind of pain."

friend: "what did they tell you?"

her: "$12,000."

us: "$12,000???"

friend: "on one kid? at one store?"

her: "yep and i bought more."

good god. do you know what you could do with $12,000? do you know how many people that would feed, how many kids that could clothe, how much that could help in the fight against disease, malnutrition, homelessness, the wall street debacle? $12,000. in one store. on one kid. can you imagine what the total would be if she added in all the other stores she shops at?

there is a problem in this society. and i ran smack into it today.