Whenever I leave my apartment, I almost always take a canvas tote bag with me. That has been my custom for many years now.
I haven’t been toting the same tote this whole time, of course. When one of them gets worn out, the Lord usually sends me a replacement, more often than not by way of free merch dispensed by a publicist at some press event or other (my day job is in travel media). Just when I’m beginning to loathe the sight of one bag, Providence supplies a new one and I’m like, Thank thee, o Lord, for these thy gifts.
You probably knew God works in mysterious ways, but did you know he also works in P.R.?
I realize that carrying a tote bag around all the time makes me look like a public-radio lesbian, but I don’t like to be without reading material and sunscreen. Which is exactly what a public-radio lesbian would say.
The origins of the tote I currently use are a little different than the norm. My husband, Frank, purchased the bag when we were in Vietnam last year.
Frank didn’t intend the item, which has the name of the country emblazoned on the front in big, colorful letters, as a souvenir for me. But then after we got back home the bag sat in the coat closet for weeks and weeks until one day it became mine via requisition (i.e., theft).
So even though the Vietnam bag didn’t come to me in the usual way—as a freebie at the Here’s What’s New in Tulsa Showcase or the like—I have still managed to maintain my yearslong streak of not buying tote bags for myself yet carrying them around constantly.
Actually, I can recall an occasion when I bought a tote bag, but I did intend it as a souvenir for Frank, so it doesn’t count (though I would like you to note that I am clearly the more thoughtful one among the two of us). I spotted the tote when I was at the Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. The bag was dark blue and had rainbow-colored text reading,
Jolene
Jolene
Jolene
Joleeene
And no, I am not ready to discuss Dolly’s passing at this time.
The items I consider essential for a tote bag are as follows:
- a book
- a periodical—preferably the Boston Globe or The New Yorker
- sunscreen
- lip balm
- at least one Bic Cristal ballpoint pen (though two is better just in case)
- a notebook
- sunglasses
- a water bottle
- my cell phone
Optional: mints, a phone charger, Advil.
I carry my wallet in my back pants pocket (left side) and my house keys in the hip pocket (also left side). I don’t recommend throwing your keys into a tote bag. You will find them difficult to retrieve in a hurry.
As for sunscreen and lip balm, I prefer Cetaphil and Aquaphor, respectively. My favorite kind of water bottle is the 24-ounce Owala FreeSip.
I wish I didn’t have a chosen notebook brand because I feel like real writers shouldn’t care about such trivialities. But, alas, I am disgustingly loyal to Moleskine. I buy the cahier journals in packs of three. Ruled, of course, and in the 5 inches by 8.25 inches size. Any color is fine.
