When something we hold dear and sentimental is gone it arouses feelings of tenderness, sadness, and nostalgia that we cannot control...
It's good to be sentimental...
Alex & Ani, Links of London, Pandora, Mi Moneda, Michael Kors... the list of latest faddy fashion fads in jewellery is endless. Christmas after Christmas, I fall a year or two behind on the trend and by the time I save up, the said 'trend' has moved on anyway! It's exasperating.
After years of failed trying to 'keep up', my failure, cheered on by my three kids, 'stay at home' status, recession and empty pockets, I have taken a long pause to think about this. I have evaluated, thought hard, justified. Why did I want these silly things? This wasn't me. There are plenty of other things I would prefer, some of which don't cost a cent. The reality is humbling. I don't want them. Not anymore and not because I can't have them. I just don't.
Yes, nice things are nice but not at the cost of losing my core values, my personality, my soul and dare I say it... me! A walk in the forest with my kids costs nothing and I get far more fulfilment from that. I do have to be completely honest and admit I will always get a mini thrill anytime I ever get anything for our home, even if that is only a tea towel. What can I say, it's my Achilles heel.
The motive and urge to write this article is not to point out the flaws of materialism and lost souls searching for themselves etc. Each to their own, everyone is entitled to their weaknesses. Besides, I am sure this has been psycho- analysed and well documented for a long time now, like most other things in our crazy world.
On the other side of the coin, there are certain inanimate objects that we genuinely need, and do get a fulfilment or sense of peace from. But these tend to be real things, not something you got, because someone else has it. These are precious things that have a priceless and sentimental value.
I had an epiphany of sorts today. A most horrible thing happened and as result an even more horrible thing happened. Today, we discovered a beautiful rose gold piece of metal was gone. My world felt a dark murky horribleness, deep inside the pit of my stomach. This was not the same shallow feeling about the faddy jewellery I mentioned. This ran a lot more deeply.
This most beautiful and simple pieces of rose gold, was my beloved grandmother's ring. Just a band, no glitz or bling just her wedding ring. Beautiful, simple, worn, tarnished and bearing all the markings that she had lovingly and unintentionally left on it's surface.
The ring would remind me of my grandmother's hands as she baked, it was covered in dough. The bread and the smell was always beautiful. The ring also reminded me of her putting her lipstick on in her little mirror hanging over the light switch in her kitchen. The ring reminded me of soapy smells, cigarettes, card games and cups of tea. The ring reminded me of lovely beautiful memories. Each time I looked at my mother wearing my grandmother's ring, making new memories, her hands would for a split second allow me to think, my grandma was sitting there right beside us.
In a cruel and ironic twist, I was at conflict with myself today on learning it was gone. I was shunning jewellery and the fickle attachments we place on it, and then this precious ring is gone and I'm a mess. It's not that there is a fine line here... the two situations are worlds apart. Materialism and sentimentalism, with a messy void in the middle, and us in there putting value on things we shouldn't and not putting value on the things we should.
This is not meant to be deep or anyway philosophical. It is what it is. I am writing from my own experience. Nothing in this world will replace my grandmother's ring. I just hope it finds its way back to us.
Keep the important stuff close to you xxx
