Like many of you, I have been binge watching a variety of TV shows during this time of Covid. They range from classics, like Bewitched, to modern ones, like Stranger Things. The Office has also shown up in my line up (thanks, Netflix!), and in the season finale, Andy Bernard said something that hit me hard and got me thinking about jewelry, of course! He said, “I wish there was a way to know you’re in the good old days before you've actually left them.”
We do that a lot, don’t we? As we move into new phases of life, we cling to thoughts about how good it was back then, in college, our last job, when we lived in that house, when our kids were little, etc. and we fail to recognize or down play the joy and growth in front of us…until that phase of life shifts, and we once again idealize a past while walking blindly in the present. Oftentimes, there is some regret tied to it.
There is nothing wrong with our fond memories of the past, and I think we should tell stories about them to our family and friends, but we have to remember the most important lesson they taught us…we still have more great seasons of life to live, and that our best years are not behind us!
Every time you look at the ring you got for your high school graduation, may you remember the lessons you learned as a teenager and remind you that you’re never too old to learn something new and exciting. When you put on the butterfly pendant your deceased parent gave to you, may you remember your relationship with them and remind you that although you feel like an inadequate parent at times, your kids love you like crazy despite your imperfections! When you put on the bracelet you bought yourself for your first “real” job, may you remember the satisfaction of charting your own course and remind you of the joys of new beginnings! And, when you see the diamond stud earrings you got for your first Christmas together, may you remember the early days of your relationship and remind you that passion is alive for you to have today! We are living in the good old days!! Go to your jewelry box today, and sift through your pieces. How does your jewelry remind you to live in the present?
(Yes, that is me in the pink dress and chubby cheeks in the good old days of 1980!)
Memories are everything.