What’s in my bag? — Melissa Smith-Wilkinson
What's in my bag? issue #53
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Melissa Smith-Wilkinson is the founder of Pranava Yoga Studio in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and organizer of the annual Caregiver Wellness Retreat for Caregivers of Alzheimer’s and other Dementias in Houston, Texas; Calgary, Alberta Canada; Park City, Utah, and Santa Fe, New Mexico. She also organizes custom respite retreats and international retreats. A native Texan, Melissa lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico with her husband and yoga partner, Richard and her youngest son, Drew.
About the bag
As a docent at the O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe, I often (when the museum was open) use an iPad in tours, and we are required to only have certain size bags. This one was custom made for me to fit my iPad and the strap was made longer for my height by Three Arrows Leather. She does such beautiful work.
What’s inside the bag
18-month Moleskine planner ($18 and up)
I just received my new Moleskine 18 month weekly planner. They come out every year in May. Rather than ordering a calendar in January, I prefer to have one where I can plan into the next year since I tend to plan several years out for retreats and trainings. (Moleskine if you’re listening, a 24 month weekly calendar would be amazing — can you work on that, please?)
Outremer Eau De Toilette, Vanille ($18)
Vanilla perfume that you can only get through Anthropologie. (I tried to find it when I was in Paris. A very long detective episode later, I found out it’s not available in retail stores.) The smaller travel sized bottle I have is only available in the stores, not online. It’s been my scent for years. When my kids were little, they said I smelled like the best cookies. So I kept using it.
Peepers Readers ($25)
Peeper’s readers because I can no longer deny that I cannot read the tiny print. I like that they are fairly inexpensive, come in a small pouch, and sold at one my favorite shops in Santa Fe, Maya, just off the Plaza.
Blackwing Point Guard ($10)
The best thing I’ve discovered is the cap for my pencil. I only write in pencil in my calendar since it’s very 90’s to use white out. My pencils (Blackwing) come from a small shop here in Santa Fe, Curiousa, and to my delight the last time I was there I discovered they now sell caps so the lead won’t break when I toss it in the bag. They’re called “point guards.” And, the company that makes them has been around since the 1930’s. A portion of every Blackwing sale benefits music and arts education through the Blackwing Foundation.
