Oatmeal Banana Palm and Other Shopping Lies

I bought a new bra on Amazon recently.

(Sorry to the guys reading this – stay with me, I promise this story is gender-neutral in its lesson!)

I don’t like buying clothes online. Not because I mind making choices from the comfort of home — that part I love.

But how do I know what size? What brand? What shade of “nude” is actually my shade of nude? And who comes up with these color names anyway?  Oatmeal Banana Palm anyone?  Or how about, Seaside?  What color is that exactly?  If the names aren’t actually going to tell us the color anyway, let’s have some fun and use names like, Mood Swing Magenta, Two Glasses of Wine Burgundy, or Midlife Mauve.

And let’s be honest, one person’s “navy” is another person’s “royal.”  (It was a great cable-knit sweater …. except I really wanted navy.)

And don’t even get me started on quality. Like the summer top I bought where one armhole was clearly larger than the other. I double-checked that it wasn’t me that was that uneven.

All of which leads to the certainty that online shopping will most definitely lead to returning something – or somethings.  Plural.

I hate returning things. That’s the worst part for me.

I’m convinced companies should market their clothes as “Try it on, then drive to Kohl’s, UPS, Staples, or whatever the return option of choice is for that item, and stand in line for 20 minutes.” Because that’s what I always end up doing.

So for me to buy a bra on Amazon — the most unpredictable piece of clothing of all — was definitely outside my comfort zone.

But I had tried at least 50 (and I’m being conservative in that estimate) on in stores. None of them fit.

Because I’m tall. And the straps just aren’t made for tall frames. They tug my shoulders forward like I’m an introverted sloucher walking into a room full of extroverts.

So, I researched brands that work for tall women, and finally — reluctantly — ordered one online.

It fits.

Well… almost.

But close enough to tolerate.

And that, my friend, is a victory in the bra-shopping world.

Why am I telling you this?

Because sometimes, what you’ve always done? It just isn’t working anymore.

You can keep repeating the pattern (cue my husband, patiently waiting as I try on bra #42), or you can try something new — even if it’s awkward, inconvenient, or makes you want to grumble through the return procedure.

When we’re willing to shift — even just a little — we open the door to something better.

Maybe not perfect. But better.

And sometimes, that’s all we need to move forward.

Even if it feels a bit uncomfortable.

Like an almost-fits bra.