With so much distraction in the world these days, I’ve been looking for sanity-saving strategies. I had not expected my old travel pajamas to offer any, but there they were – beloved and pitiful.

I had given up on them.  Hopeless. Gone.   Even one more trip seemed unlikely as the faded navy covered buttons popped off and hid under one hotel bed and then another.  And of course, Vanity Fair no longer sold the perfectly packable, washable, dry-over-night-able three-piece sets.

But voila!  While the rest of the world is reeling from tariffs and the dismantling of federal agencies, it occurred to me that this was a problem I could fix. I set out to find new buttons.

Let’s not underestimate the challenge. A trip to JoAnn Fabrics revealed stripped shelves – a condition described by the woman in sewing machines as “no one wants to work anymore,” and the checkout clerk as “they don’t want to pay for stocking hours.” A few days later, my local store hit the list of nearly 500 stores to be closed nationwide. Unwittingly, I was being sucked into bigger problems.

But not to worry.  Googling, I found “vintage” buttons online and with one false start educated myself that it was not the four-hole mother of pearl button I was after but instead the less expensive 11.5 ml blue resin “shank” button. Despite the fact that reviewers complained about the shade of blue, the buttons, quickly in my mailbox, were a perfect match. Since I bought a set of 20 for $2.99, I had plenty of replacements when they popped off and scooted under the hotel bed.

I am happy to report that while listening to a short audiobook, I removed the old buttons and sewed on 12 new ones. I have eight spares, just in case. Problem solved!  I feel suddenly empowered.

Ironically, the book – Claire Keegan’s Small Things Like These – offers its own strategies for surviving difficult times.  Among them, having a sense of purpose and showing kindness to others. Definitely worth the one hour, 57-minute listen.