Over my cheap jewelry phase....

For many months, or more to the point...for several years, I have been purchasing jewelry on the cheap. Colors I thought I would need, a pair of earrings for a certain outfit. This seemed to be the way to go especially since I don't have large budget for (expensive) jewelry. Who really does unless your married to a millionaire and then that brings other problems?...but I digress. As I said....I've been purging (decluttering, getting rid of, scaling down) whatever you want to call it, lately. If I get something new, something leaves. If it doesn't bring me joy to wear it, touch it or look at it, it's gone. Deciding on clothes is the hardest...but I'm digressing again. Jewelry....cheap jewelry (stay on point please). I'm over the cheap jewelry acquiring....I think. I need things that I love and will last. All the rings I've purchased recently are turning copper/red color when the finish comes off of the ring. With wear it begins to show. That brings up another issue in my life. Getting rid of friends. Most of them don't bring me any joy either. Do I bring them joy? I don't know. I don't much care at this point. I am so over the need to have friends that is a relief in and of itself. I cannot gush about friends...because I see too much. I can overlook bad behavior...I've had six kids. The idea of  not having friends is a major choice for me, and it's not done because I don't think people like me (suffered from that long enough) or that I can't have friends...because most of my life I've yearned for friends. Now that it's a possibility...now that I might have time for them...(and I did have a group of them in an art group for several years that ended in a disastrous outcome for me) I simply do not need the drain on my energies. To see the few friends that I have every few months is more than enough for me. But I am digressing again....jewelry. How much cheap jewelry does one need? (How many cheap friends does one need?  Good question....) I don't know. I'm obsessive when it comes to whatever my present obsession is. Is that redundant? . . . . So what. I can be redundant here...it's my place to talk to myself. Jewelry....over the cheapness. over the need......over the spending of money on buy one get one free...divesting myself of the cheap beads and findings and crap that I have hung on to in my studio thinking that some day I will make this or that. Someday will never come. Someday is like OZ.....not really there. I will be looking at this stuff 1, 5, 10 years from now thinking the same thing. If I don't want to wear the cheap jewelry anymore than why the hell am I keeping the cheap beads and acquired BOGO things from Charming Charlie? Don't get me wrong, I love Charming Charlie (I was just in the store Wednesday night).....but I don't need them anymore. They are fun and colorful.....but I need to scale down and that means in every area of my life. Our lives have no meaning because nothing we do or have or say has any meaning. So from jewelry to life......we need to have quality. Not necessarily quantity but quality. Hard to make that choice and sometimes harder to make the distinction between the two. So the distinction here between the cheap and lasting (jewelry...or insert anything...friends, lovers, furniture, clothing, house, car, books, knick knacks, journals, photos, shoes, coats, purses, ok ok ok I get my own point.......) is something we should strive to see, not just SEE but feel .. we should cultivate the ability to be aware of what is true and what is not. So as not to get too spiritual and sound all sappy.....if things do not emanate from a true source....if things in my life are not there because they are supposed to be there..then they will not bring me joy of any kind. Wanting what is not supposed to be wanted will bring frustration, fear  and anger.

What comes to mind now is the song "Simple Gifts" by Joseph Brackett (1797–1882)
So what was true in the 1800 is  still true for today....

'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free
Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
'Twill be in the valley of love and delight. (JOY!)

When true simplicity is gain'd,
To bow and to bend we shan't be asham'd,
To turn, turn will be our delight,
'Til but turning, turning we come 'round right.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYi9Vr8bHJY  Listen to this beautiful arrangement of "Simple Gifts".
 

Til by turning, turning we come 'round right.

 

Here's to our turning and the hope that we come round to the right place in our lives with the right friends and the right relationships. To finding joy in what we have and where we are....to be genuine...to be comfortable in our own skins.

 

Wishing you joy...........