marshall, tj maxx and ross dress for less

I cannot even tell you how much I love these stores. I have spent more hours of my life, treasure troving my way around these stores than I care to admit. They just have the most incredible deals on the most incredible things. Everything from a sweet pair of kicks to some baggy sweats to a sweet lil skinny tie to some clearanced bedding that looks perfect with the new paint to some gourmet vanilla chai to some unique wall art with some rad quotes to a new macbook sleeve and on and on and on.

And for the most part, it's all super cheap.

Like, so super cheap that I have always been like, "wait a second...something fishy is going on here..."

So one day, I did some research and discovered why a lot of their items are so cheap. Sure there are some things that were just overstocked at a department store so they sent them to one of these stores to get them sold and then there is other stuff from last season and they're just clearing off the racks at Express or Nordstroms, but a lot of the time, the reason it is so cheap, is because it is "irregular". 

There is something wrong with it.

And its usually not something noticeably wrong with it, but there is something irregular about it. It might be a tiny hole that cannot be seen by the naked eye or it might be a stitch that is out of place or maybe the tag was sewn upside down accidentally or any number of other ludicrous things, but every single one of those things makes the product irregular and able to be sold at a discounted rate.

Even though there really is nothing "wrong" with it.

I'll buy me an irregular pair of Seven jeans for $12 bucks on the clearance rack, all day long, if the reason it's "irregular" is because it has two stitches on the butt where its supposed to have three stitches. 

The problem with those Seven jeans though is that somewhere along the line, someone decided that because it only had two stitches instead of three, that there was something "wrong" with them. 

Regardless of whether that "imperfection" had anything to do with anything. 

Regardless of the fact that most folks would never see anything wrong with them.

Regardless of the fact that those jeans might be absolutely perfect for me.

To me, the imperfect jeans are actually the perfect jeans.

Sadly enough, this mentality of "irregular" or "imperfect" or things being flawed meaning they are devalued and not worth as much as something else, has carried over into how we treat people...especially how we look at relationships, dating, boyfriends/girlfriends, etc.

The minute someone breaks up with someone else, the person who was broken up with immediately asks, "what is wrong with me?", and even if they don't ask it out loud, they walk out the door and ask themselves that question. They drive home asking themselves that question. They lie in bed asking themselves that question. They drive themselves crazy trying to figure out what is wrong with them. And just maybe, if they find out what is wrong with them, then they can fix it and become perfect.

Too bad, a "perfect" pair of Seven jeans wouldn't be perfect for me.

The irregular, imperfect ones were though.

And the truth is, you ARE imperfect...we all are.

There IS something irregular about you...we all are irregular.

The joy of life and the beauty of the journey is finding that person out there who sees your imperfections, your flaws, and all your irregularities and they see that it is all of those things that make you absolutely perfect for them. 

As one of my favorite musicians, Caitlin Crosby, says in one of her songs, "Imperfect is the new perfect..." and I think that is spot on.

I think if Jesus were to be cruising around these days, He would probably shop at TJ Maxx and Marshalls. I mean, He was all about finding and treasuring the passed over, imperfect, flawed folks.

So, go out there and find your "irregular" pair of jeans...you never know, they just might be the ones you hold on to for the rest of your life.

mad love...