HAPPY ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY MANNIKMEL !
I STILL REMEMBER THE DAY AND THE MOMENT I FIRST SET EYES ON YOU
I TURNED THE CORNER AND THERE YOU WERE – YOU CAUGHT ME TOTALLY OFF GUARD- I WAS SPEECHLESS–I FELT A TINGLE THAT STARTED IN MY FEET AND WENT ALL THE WAY UP TO MY HEAD! I EVEN GIGGLED OUT LOUD!
NOTHING HAD MADE ME FEEL THIS WAY IN SO LONG THAT I WASN’T SURE I WOULD FEEL SUCH INSPIRATION EVER AGAIN- LET ALONE FROM A BUNCH OF NAKED MANNEQUINS
IT WAS CERTAINLY “ONE OF THOSE MOMENTS” LIKE WHEN YOU MEET THAT LOVE OF YOUR LIFE-OR FOUND THE HOUSE YOU WERE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR – IT WAS ONE OF THOSE MOMENTS WHERE YOU EITHER GO FOR IT RIGHT AWAY- OR NEVER LOOK BACK-
I WAS IN LORD & TAYLOR THAT DAY FOR A FINAL WALK THROUGH- THEY WERE CLOSING FOREVER AND IT WAS NOT EASY TO ACCEPT MORE LOSS. MY MOM AND I HAD BEEN GOING TO THIS LORD&TAYLOR SINCE I WAS BORN. IT WAS HER “GO TO” PLACE AND SHE MADE IT MINE. IT WAS WHERE OUR EXTREME DIFFERENCES WERE FORGIVEN IN A MOST FASHIONABLE WAY AND SINCE MY MOM HAS LEFT THIS WORLD ONLY SIX MONTHS EARLIER- THIS WAS A BITTERSWEET WALKTHROUGH.
SO WHEN I WENT UPSTAIRS EXPECTING TO SEE RACKS OF CLOTHING AND INSTEAD SAW THE GIRSL HANGING AROUND, LOOKING FOR SOMETHING TO DO, IT WAS INSTANTANEOUS. BUT IT SHOULDN’T HAVE BEEN MORE THAN A FLEETING GLIMPSE -IT SHOULD NEVER HAVE BECOME MORE THAN AN IMPULSE. AND I KNEW IT WOULD SEEM CRAZY! AND THAT MANY WOULD CRITICIZE ME, QUESTION MY SANITY-AS THEY ALWAYS DO –
THIS DEFIED ALL REASON, BUT MADE PERFECT SENSE TO ME- IT WAS A GENUINE “ARTISTS MOMENT” AND I I HAD TO HAVE IT!
YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN THE LOOK ON THE GUYS’ FACE WHEN I SAID, I’LL TAKE THEM ALL!