DAY 9 - Jewelry

The 24 Things Clearing Challenge 
encourages you to make room in your home, heart, and mind to create an inspired future

There was a time when I wore a lot of jewelry. I guess there were a few different times, each somehow corresponding with a "phase" I was going through to try to determine exactly Who I Was.

There was the high school phase of Rings On Every Finger (except one, the left ring finger, the Sacred Finger). I even wore a ring on my left thumb that was more of a mini metal sculpture than an actual ring. Then there was the Hippie Hemp phase somewhere between high school and college, when I wore a choker made with real hemp seeds and long beaded necklaces strung together with seashells and random beads and other "found" treasures. Then there was a phase of Nice Quality Jewelry I Bought For Myself - because no one else (no boyfriends, at least) bought it for me. And finally, I seem to be settling in to my own true style of Simple Jewelry With Meaning.

I wear my wedding and engagement bands on my left ring finger. I wear an "OM" symbol band on my right ring finger. I wear silver earrings of some kind most every day. And that's about it.

But I have a fair amount of jewelry. Some left over from the various phases, some fond remembrances of people past, and some that I want to keep for my children. Going through the several small nooks and crannies in which my shiny objects stay safe made me think of the stories that go along with each and every piece. And I could only part with one or two objects that I really felt no connection to... everything else went right back where it came from.

The results of today's (minor) letting go: wonderful trips down many memory lanes.