Hey there, Something happened a few years ago. I wrote about it. It's cute. And completely true.
A magical (and true) story
I moved to California on October 30, 1996. Virgin Atlantic flight VS019 arrived at SFO at 2:50 p.m. to be exact.
I sat in seat 49C.
Five years prior to that or maybe it was ten, I forget, I bought a dress from Marks & Spencer, a British high street chain.
It was a floaty, swingy, summer dress with tiny flowers printed on it.
I loved that dress. It was loose. I could gain a few pounds and hide them.
It had crinkly fabric, which meant I didn't need to iron it.
It hid my knees.
I wore that dress over and over for many years but fast forward two decades and it was time to say goodbye.
It had been worn to death and reincarnated several times but it was now finally the end.
My crinkly dress became a rumpled mess in my upstairs bathroom wastebasket.
Fast forward a couple of years and I volunteered for a rummage sale at my kids' school.
The day after we had a clean-up and I was asked to box up leftover books.
When I took a break, the organizer insisted that I take a look around for something that might take my fancy.
I could have anything I want.
Initially, I demurred. Frankly, rummage sale leftovers aren't typically inspiring.
But boxing up hundreds of books isn't terribly thrilling either. I decided to take the organizer's advice.
I walked around the toys but pieces spilled from puzzles. I walked around the media section but only old video cassettes were left.
And then. Gasp. I stopped.
Everything stopped. My heart. My lungs. The world. For there, on a hanger, was a very familiar-looking dress.
Surely not? Could it be? I don't believe it!
It was.
5,000 miles away and twenty-odd years later, there at a rummage sale in California, USA, was an identical floaty, summer M&S dress.
In my size.
I have worn that dress many times in the years since. And told many people my story. It makes me, and them, smile.
You see, magic can happen in the unlikeliest of places; even where it's dusty and dirty and cold.
A school rummage sale may appear a rare place for magic and wizardry.
But, as my story shows, even the unlikeliest of places can make Harry Potters of us all.
Cute, huh? I still have this dress. Makes me smile every time I see it.
Stick around and check in next week. There's more new stuff coming!
Happy reading!
