alexandaniI love jewelry. Well, I love trendy jewelry.

That’s not to say I wouldn’t trade in my .5 carat diamond for something more roomy, but it’s not on top of the list. Rather, I enjoy mixing and matching necklaces, earrings and especially bracelets. And this brings me to my grand revelation. Ready? It’s all in the charms.

Like a fortune teller with her leaves, one only need to look at a charm bracelet to realize what’s important in someone’s life. Maybe it’s their children, the beach, the military, religion, a cause. Whatever it is, bracelets like Pandora (http://www.pandora.net/en-us) and Alex and Ani (http://www.alexandani.com) reveal much about a person. The key question is, do we realize it about ourselves?

Sometime during early marital years and child-rearing, we can easily lose ourselves. How do we know? Are we truly ourselves? Not as much? Good chance we need a map and a compass. We lose ourselves to being a couple, being compromising to our spouses, to our in-laws, to our own families. Then we lose ourselves to being a (hopefully) dedicated mom. We move our needs to last place in favor of raising up our children—so they can thrive, succeed and live lives worthy of the best life can offer. But the big question is: Have we ever recovered?

In the middle years, it’s time to return to our true selves. Not with bell bottoms and midriff tops, but back to pursuing the interests that make us delightfully us—whole, rich, fulfilled. Sometimes we don’t know where to look. So I suggest a trip to the nearest jewelry retailer.

I’m not a Pandora fan, but I know lots of people are. (I’m an Alex and Ani fan and you can do the same with their bracelets, since it’s ok to have about a dozen or so)  Either way, check out the charms that appeal to you; the ones you already tote on your wrist–the ones you desire. How much time is devoted to each of those things? How much time is spent stoking loving feelings? 🙂  At the beach? With friends? In the garden? Volunteering for a cause? I suggest a great way to tell  who you really are and get life back to doing the things you should be doing is to listen to the charms. If your life is missing one of those emotions, places, people, causes—-jump on it. Recoup, recount, revisit, return.

Excuse me now while I take my own advice (I often practice amateur psych without a license) and make plans to get to the beach soon. It’s one of my happiest places, and one I haven’t visited in awhile( I don’t have the charm, but just spotted them online. Sorry Mark. If they had a shopping charm, I’d have that one too). Now go. And I will too. Take out your bracelets which reveal your passions. And get to the business of bringing them all back to your life. Life is here and now. And if you let it, charmed as well.