We Christians just finished our 40 days of Lent during which we were reminded time and time again to repent of our sins. A funny thought just occurred to me. I am guilty of having sinned recently. Covetousness, gluttony, envy, pride, lust, anger and sloth – I was subjected to and fell under the spell of all seven deadly sins last week when I went to a Book Fair!In an old warehouse, rows and rows of tables held thousands of books. Since I love books, I COVETED them all. As I stepped on some toes and elbowed my way through the crowd, I GLUTTONOUSLY grabbed books of every shape and size – some almost new, some well-thumbed and dog-eared, some serious, some funny. And I was filled with PRIDE at the bargains I had been shrewd enough to spot.
Even though my bag was stuffed and dragging the floor, I unashamedly peeked over the shoulders of strangers to see the titles of books they were clutching, ENVYING the treasures they had beat me to.
Then, as I approached the “rare” books section, I LUSTED after the exotic, expensive books displayed there, knowing I couldn’t afford any of them. And as I glanced at my watch, I gave in to ANGER, because I was running out of time and money and I didn’t want to leave.
There was only one of the seven deadly sins left. But of course, soon after I got home, SLOTH took over as I ignored my household chores and poured over my treasures. I lovingly paged through the humour books, mysteries, romance novels and miscellaneous. Then I noted a great quote in one of the really old books. It was from an 1870 news item: “A waspishly small waist no longer excites admiration – the spirituelle figures are not considered stylish nowadays; deep, healthy shoulders and plump, round waists of 22 and 23 inches are now the fashion.” TWENTY-TWO inches? A lot of thanksgiving turkeys have a waist plumper than that!
Another quote concerned dining etiquette of 1875: “It is well to carry in your pocket a small pincushion, and, having folded your napkin, to pin it at the belt.” And then there was a page of advertising which offered a sale on lady’s hairpieces – “fine braids, waterfalls, puffs and frizzled curls.”
All of that sounds pretty funny today but those ideas just might be helpful. With a napkin pinned at a 22-inch waist, a pincushion in your pocket, and a waterfall on your head, you’d be much too restrained to commit any of those seven deadly sins!
3 comments:
Say what? 22-23 inches in waist measurement is plump! Oh my...
Remember that Gone with the Wind novel? I recall reading a vivid description of Scarlet O'Hara squeezing into that whale-boned corset or something like that ... man, the things some people do for the sake of vanity! Just give me a pair of adjustable garter pants and a baggy t-shirt and I'm quite content!
But of course I do recall having a 24-inch waist line once upon a time . . . but that was many moons ago, and seems a different lifetime altogether.
Touche! A comfy adjustable garter pants, an old loose t-shirt (preferably with a bit of holes here and there for character) and I am ready to curl up with a good book while the world passes me by. sigh... By the way, I think I am done with high heels (Vanity). Walking in one yesterday for Sunday mass was a killer. I want to start buying pumps/flats and give away my high heels.
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