More undignified

I wonder if rubber ducky shower curtains and bright yellow walls give the proper amount of sophistication to the guest bathroom? I moved a nice new set of chrome shelving over the toilet, so that guests now have a place to set their toiletries.... and was contemplating accenting the top shelf with my collection of rubber duckies.

When Asherel and I had gone to Bed, Bath and Beyond for the shelf, I asked her if there was anything else we needed.
"A new shower curtain?" she asked.
That stopped me in my tracks.
"Is there something wrong with the rubber ducky shower curtain?"
"Oh no," she answered. "I just thought you might want a change."

Like into someone with taste?

"I like the rubber ducky shower curtain," I said softly.

And I do. I like the bright yellow bathroom. Yellow is a cheery color. It oozes good natured-ness. And the shower curtain isn't covered with rubber duckies. At least not large rubber duckies.That would be tacky.It is tastefully dotted with small rubber duckies. There is just a happy parade of large ones across the top section. The bottom is elegant blue stripes with carefully appointed small ducks as accents.

But should we ever decide to sell the house, I will probably need to kill the ducks. As a friend once so aptly expressed this sort of designer direction, it is "taste specific." This was her gentle way of saying "trashy...unrefined....childish....undignified."

The great king David, progenitor of the Messiah, was also described as undignified. When he victoriously returned the ark of God to its rightful place, he danced nearly naked down the city street. His wife was horrified as she watched David celebrating with such crude, plebian enthusisam. His response is one of the best retorts I have ever heard- "It will celebrate before the Lord; I will become even more undignified than this...."

Dignity is highly overrated, I think. Childlike abandon and enthusiasm before God is perhaps not just for children.

I got my three rubber duckies and arranged them carefully on the top shelf in the bathroom. I defy anyone to not smile in that room.

2 Samuel 6:21-23

 ²¹ David said to Michal, “It was before the LORD, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the LORD’s people Israel—I will celebrate before the LORD. ²² I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor.”

Fashion Delusions

After 6 years of changing prescriptions, I decided I needed a new pair of back up glasses. I wear contacts and only put on my glasses when I want to remind myself of how Ugly Betty feels. But I traipsed to the GlassesRU store and stood mystified before the rows and rows of spectacles.

I tried them on, one after another, and after increasingly violent shudders, moved on to the next row.
"Can I help you?" asked a saleslady.
"Is it that obvious?" I asked.
"What are you looking for?" she said smiling.
"That's the problem!" I moaned, "I just don't know. I haven't bought glasses in 6 years. I have no idea what people wear anymore. I don't want to look even more geeky than I already do in glasses."
("Good luck with that," said Asherel when I recounted the story to her.)

"Well, first of all," said the sweet woman, "You are in the wrong section."
I glanced up quickly. I would have thought I would know the difference between men and women glasses! No, it said "women" above the row I was in.
"You need to be looking at children's frames," she advised, pulling me over to the section with little Micky Mouse and Princess tags hanging off the glasses.
"You have a very small face," she said, "And glasses for big people will overpower your features."
I put my pacifier in my mouth and toddled over to the children's section.
"Next, what color do you want?"
"Color? I don't think I want color. I don't want to be too conspicuous."
"Oh everyone is wearing color these days."
"They are? "
"You will look more conspicuous in old silver granny frames."
I put the old silver granny frames back.
"Here....try these."
"Purple?"
"Purple is very in right now."
"I don't think my husband will let me in the house in purple glasses."
Sigh.
"Well, then, how about these?"
She handed me a blue pair.
"He will laugh at these too. The first glasses I got my poor little boy were blue. I thought he looked adorable but now when I look back at those pictures.....no.... I don't think blue."
She handed me a bronze colored pair. I put them on and looked at her.
"Boring," she said. I had to agree with her on that one.
Black? ugh! Brown? ick! Taupe? Bleh!
"Let me see those purple ones," I asked.
"Those are the ones I suggested in the first place."
"I know.....but maybe color is just what I need."
She smirked and handed me the purple glasses. We both gazed at my reflection, her knowing smile spreading.
"I'll take these," I sighed.
"Good choice! Now do you want antiglare lenses?"
"I don't know....do I?"
"Probably if what you most use them for is driving at night. How about the photochromatic lenses?"
"What's that?"
"They change to sunglasses in the sunlight."
"Well that would be useful."
I remembered my mom getting those kind of glasses. The manufacturer made a mistake and only put in one of those darkening lenses though and Mom walked about like a pirate in the sunlight til it was repaired.
I was dripping in sweat as I finally made all the choices and paid.

The next day my mother of the groom dress arrived. I tried it on, and it was quickly apparent I probably should have been shopping in the kid's section for that as well.
"I'm going to the alteration shop," I called to Asherel.
"Can I come? This should be fun," she said.

I stood on the pedestal before the 3 way mirror, the dress dripping dangerously low.
"This dress is made for someone bigger here," said the dressmaker, through the pins in her mouth pointing to a region of my body I would prefer not to discuss.
"I tried on a size 14," I explained, "It was all they had. They pinned it up and it looked wonderful. I had no idea it was going to be this low....."
She had no sympathy for me. I didn't have the rapport I had had with the glass saleswoman.
She began marking where the hem would go while I looked in dismay at the neckline which didn't come even close to my neck. No way would I traipse anywhere but in a bedroom in this dress. Then I had an idea.
"You will cut off plenty of material when you hem it, right?"
"Yes," she said.
"Could you make a drape of material right here?"
I pointed to that part of my body that I would still prefer not to discuss.
She stood up and prodded and pulled and then nodded.
"Yes, that will work. I could add an inch."
"Two?"
"No, one inch will cover you nicely, but two inches will not look good on this dress."
"OK."
"Now, you said you had a jacket you wondered if it would look well with this dress and if it fit?"
"Yes," I said, "Shall I put it on?"
She nodded and I grabbed the jacket from the dressing room.
As soon as I donned it, she shook her head, and tried very hard not to laugh.
"No," she said, "You cannot wear that jacket. It is too heavy and too wintry."
"What should I get then?" I asked, "I got a pashmina, but it looks so long and big on me."
She shrugged and went to price the alterations. I could see I would need to go back to Glasses RU to talk to that woman about my dress jacket.

As we left the store, I realized that I just have no taste. I wonder if everyone has been laughing at me whenever I have ever walked into a room. The sad thing is that I thought I had taste.
"Have I just been deluded?" I asked Asherel, as I hung the jacket in the car.
She looked down and smirked.

I wonder what we will wear in heaven? Will there be clothes at all? Will we have choices for designer halos? I sure hope not, unless in Heaven we will also be assigned a personal wardrobe consultant.

Genesis 28:20
 ²⁰ ... “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear ²¹ so that I return safely to my father’s household, then the LORD will be my God