Getting to the Bottom of It: Adrien
One of my favorite parts of writing these posts has been the total mystery of what someone has in their bag…and then being right about it. Do you ever get to know someone, take note of how they dress for instance, and with that information you can imagine what their home or the inside of their car looks like? It’s a fun exercise; just think of someone in your life and then think of an area where you can see their belongings. They probably match, right? This isn’t rocket science, people are generally consistent. Even if not surprised, I’m still endlessly fascinated by the things we all choose to surround ourselves with in our workplaces, our homes, our cars, and our bags.
Adrien has this way about her that just provides immediate calm. It isn’t put on, it doesn’t feel practiced; it just…is. Being a relatable and genuine sort, I feel certain that she would tell me that she does have times when everything feels like a whirlwind. She’d promptly follow that up with how she navigates those times. But that’s her whole thing, right? Wellness in the whirlwinds.
I have tried to record each person in their “natural habitat.” With that in mind, it stands to reason that I should’ve seen Adrien at Alexandria Wellness, but scheduling won out and we met at her home, near my own. (What a lovely neighbor to have! Yay!) In hindsight, it was fortuitous to visit Adrien where she lives because it spoke to what is important to her. Remember when I said that people match their homes? If Adrien is talking about good lifestyle and wellness practices, then boy oh boy is she walking it too. Her home and her bag (I promise we are getting there) feel warm and fun like springtime, lived-in and practical. I felt good when I left, like I was about to have a really good day. And I did!
One of the first things Adrien told me about her bag is that she chose it because its predecessor caused her shoulder pain. I too, as I’m sure you may be admitting to yourself while reading this, used to think that my profoundly gigantic bag would surely never wrong me in that way. Surely shoulder and neck pain will not befall me. I need to carry all of these things. And now I carry a smaller bag, because why drag it around if it isn’t making you happy or serving you in some way, especially if it’s a literal pain in the neck.
Ever practical and chic at the same time, she has a slightly smaller, cute bag inside of the first cute bag. I love a bag within a bag; it just makes the most sense. Maybe you have to hop out of the car quickly for errands and don’t want to take the whole thing. Maybe you need something with extremely specific dimensions to get through security at Capital One Arena. Maybe, just maybe you’re walking around Paris, hence the name “the Paris bag.” Somewhere in the two bags, there is a pencil case of lip products and beauty accouterments. How smart is that? A pencil case…for lip pencils. Groundbreaking. But seriously, why didn’t I think of that? Adrien carries 5 total lip products and one of them is good ol’ Vaseline, so it’s kind of doing double duty. If you need an emergency skin moisturizer or makeup remover (Adrien will not have this particular emergency because she has hand cream), Vaseline will be those things for you! In her case, however, it is a trusty lip balm.
I found Adrien’s bag to be so well-organized, maybe even minimal. She carries things that she uses, things that work together in the best way and make her happy at the same time. Her reason for thinking that her bag is not the tidiest is that she is in and out of it so much, moving things around. I have to disagree though. Adrien is able to do those things because she has set her bag up in such a way that being “in and out of it so much” is actually possible. What a great way to show us how purse items can also be a wellness tool! I’m taking notes on her bag and I feel lighter already; I bet it’s going to be a good day!
