Charming!

Today, I bought a bracelet.  I don't usually wear jewelry anymore, even though I have a lot... it itches my skin, makes my skin break out in some instances, or just feels heavy around my neck or wrists. Rings are too tight, or when my Reynaud's kicks in, they go flying off my fingers across the room.  I've had people find my rings on the floor; myself being unaware that they'd flung off!  My pierced earring holes close up and get itchy (When I got my ears pierced as a teenager -- I nearly passed out when my mom took out the original pair of earrings, my ears were so infected from being allergic to the metal!). In short, jewelry and I have not always been friends.

But today, I bought a bracelet.  I couldn't resist.  Here's a picture:

It's a cute little kitty-cat charm bracelet, and the other four charms spell out:  

"It's All About Me"

I should point out that the actual meaning of the bracelet is about rescuing cats -- 

ordered from The Animal Rescue Site/GreaterGood.

Personal friends reading this will get a good chuckle, and will understand why I was compelled to actually click on the "back" button online, and buy this bracelet when I saw its image fly by my face while searching for something else completely unrelated.  

Without going into too much detail, last summer, as sometimes happens with email, a huge misunderstanding occurred between me and another person, and the final nail in the coffin was the sentiment, expressed by the other person, in writing: 

"It's not always all about YOU, you know."  

OUCH.

It's true, I always write in the first person, and I always have a story to tell.  It's not only because I'm self-centered (see what I did there?), it's because I've tried and tried to write fiction and, quite simply, 

I suck at it.   

I freely admit that it sometimes doesn't occur to me to ask another person about themselves, and I guess that makes me socially inept, at worst. To someone who doesn't know me, and who is only communicating by email, that could appear as uncaring.  But the fact is, I spend the majority of my life doing things for others, people-pleasing, and approval seeking.  Sh*t, even writing this blog is approval seeking!  There!  I said it!

My friends describe me as loyal, fun-loving, great sense of humor, easy to get along with, a great listener... "has a great beat; easy to dance to".   So, I know, "I'm not that girl."

Buying the bracelet online, somehow became empowering.  I don't normally wear jewelry anymore except on special occasions.  But I just might make an exception and wear this piece daily.  Imagine, looking down at my wrist while typing and seeing "It's All About Me" throughout each day?!  

Charming, indeed.