I have wanted a dress form for a long time. I had picked out a couple online, just had not made it a priority purchase. In the midst and busy-ness of a typical day, I was going to the printer’s to approve some business cards for a freelance project. I was a bit aggravated because I had been there the day before and it wasn’t quite right. So I had an extra trip to midtown that I would have preferred not to have to make. Anyway, we worked it out and the cards were approved for printing. I was leaving their office, which is an old warehouse where you have to walk through the loading dock to get to the front doors. Across the way, I noticed a dress form. It seemed out of place at the printers and I just stood there for a minute wondering if I was seeing things, as this was the style and size I had picked out.
I went back in to ask the receptionist what is the story with the dress form? She said the owner’s mother died and it is from her estate and he wanted to sell it. I asked how much? She said she would call him, and I went back out to look at it more closely. There was a price tag on it for $20, and I knew from my research what a new form would cost. I go back in, and she tells me that he would accept whatever I offer. And she added, “she has a name… her name is SHERYL” (not sure if same spelling…). I don’t think the receptionist remembered my name, so I reminded her, my name is Sheryl! She said it must be karma. Needless to say, I brought her home.
She is just about my size – her waist is 1″ smaller than mine. She is perfect, and I decided to rename her Sophina, which is the name I had selected before I magically acquired her. She has been very helpful in minor alterations for my own clothes, and I have plans for her in the future for designs in my head that have not yet been formalized. The most amazing thing about acquiring her was that it felt like a wonderful gift seemingly out of nowhere. What are the chances? She is a reminder that all the things I want to pursue my interests will come to me, both small and large.
