The One that Got Away

Have you ever found a beautiful object (be it a coat, sweater, hard-to-find action figure) that you instantly knew you wanted to have, but managed to convince yourself not to buy because after hours, days, and weeks of indecision, you decided the cost outweighed the ownership? How much did it cost you emotionally when, after much hand-wringing, you became wedded to the idea of buying that thing only to discover that it's no longer available and you've got a snowball's chance in hell of finding it anywhere?

(If you're a person who is absolutely horrified by people who are tied to objects and ownership, I suggest you stop reading here because it's only going to get worse.)

For me, at the moment of clarity when I decide that I'm going to commit to a purchase, I'm already imagining how my life will incorporate this object. This object will change my outlook on life because it will make me feel better about myself. My new fangled self-assurance will help me be motivated at my job, which will help me get promoted, and then I'll make more money, thus justifying this purchase! It's a sad chain of logic, but so is the desire for needful things.

My 2006 list of things I coveted and didn't buy is--gasp--very long, but the prize of

The Thing that Got Away definitely goes to:

J. Crew Double-Cloth Grace Coat in Green

Sigh. I still mourn you, Grace Coat. You were already sold out before the first leaf fell here in the city. I frequently haunt eBay looking for someone selling you, but you continue to escape my ravenous clutches. You were meant to be paired with my Orla Kiely Alpine Forest Bag (in emerald), which someone very special bought me for Christmas (although, it was supposed to be a surprise). I've learned my lesson. Next year, I'm buying my winter coat very, very early.

If you have an object of desire that haunts you, please share it here and we'll mourn together.