Purses on a playdate in a Mexican restaurant
Growing up, we weren’t supposed to be copycats, and being the oldest and kind of solitary, I didn’t have a lot of in-my-face temptations to copy anyone. But now I’m making up for lost time. I like the way Katt’s feet look in her red shoes, so I got red shoes. I liked Kris’ purse, so I got the same one (in a slightly different color), and now when we meet for lunch, our purses have playdates. I like the way Kelley dresses, so I follow suit. I even find myself saying things like “I was a little under the weather” (what Ken would say) or “He was chatting you up” (something Kat would say). Last night, I had a long conversation where I basically say “eh” often, just like Forest.
When kids copy each other, one inevitably gets pissed and the other is dumbfounded. An adult intervening will often say, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” although in different words. Now that I’m somewhat officially grown up, so far at least, my pals don’t get too irritated. “Where did you get this?” or “How do you do that?” often meets with real answers, and before you know it, I’m getting this or doing that, copycating my way into happy possessions, realizations and actions. And if someone copycats me, I promise not to give them a hard time either, especially since they may well be copying what I copied.
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