Journey of the Unwanted Necklace Part 6: November 18, 2009

People are not always who they appear to be on the outside. We go through life meeting people and basing our opinions of them on several factors. It might be a first impression, a friend we have in common, or several years of history together. But do we ever really know the real person on the inside? Do we ever really know ourselves for that matter?

Often we define ourselves and the people around us in pretty simple terms. Terms that support and compliment each other. Terms that are easy to understand and convey to each other when we are describing personalities. We go through life categorizing each other, rarely stopping to consider that there may be more going on behind that unwanted, ugly necklace than the missing bead. Sometimes there is a naughty ballerina just waiting to dance naked in the moonlight. Should that opportunity present itself , does she leave behind that dull, broken garland we once knew her as? Do we change our opinion and the terms we set of the person as a complex whole?

I think so often that we hide behind the necklace that people see us as everyday because it is easy and comfortable. What we really need is a little spice in our life until the olive can be found. Get out the tutu and dance like we've never danced before. If not for everyone, then at least just for ourselves.

Saturday, November 14, 2009
5th Outing of the Unwanted Necklace: Girls night out.

Sometimes all it takes to distract us from unwanted things in our life is a good cup of coffee and a seasonal donut. While some donuts have the ability to take us to more exciting places than others, any donut is better than none at all. In the past we have experienced things like a "vacation on a donut" through chocolate and coconut varieties. Tonight's availability was the pumpkin spice, which was pretty good for being after 9pm. A little girl talk after a movie and all of our troubles seemed to disappear. Now if only we could find a way to get the calories to disappear...

Wednesday November 11, 2009
"The Unwanted Necklace Destination 4"
We had a Ducks Unlimited dinner to attend tonight, which my husband had to MC. I was less than interested in attending, but got more interested when I realized a potential outing for the UN. Much to my pleasure, I remembered a dress from the deep recesses of my closet that complimented the necklace beautifully! The dinner was enjoyable and delicious as well. In the end I realized that sometimes you CAN dress up the ugly and take it out. Here we were at a dinner centered around hunting wildfowl, but it was civilized, fun, even heading towards classy. And here we had a hideous necklace that once again, proved to be more than the sum of its broken parts, giving the ugly a chance to shine!

November 7, 2009
Third destination on the Journey of the Unwanted Necklace.

Sometimes when life is unbalanced and ugly, we may choose to do things that seem irrational to other people. These choices that we make provide a distraction from what is missing in the equation of our lives and help us to feel happy. Whether it be a frivolous overnight just half an hour away, laughing with a friend over a lost car in the parking lot, or releasing our feelings through writing . We need these things in our lives to resuscitate what the ugly has knocked unconscious. Let no one stand in our way while we continue our quest for the olive.

Day 2 of The Unwanted Necklace...
Just an observation, I suppose..."Sometimes, focusing on the new puts the old back in its box."

I had a jewelry party, and got all this "new stuff" just as I was supposed to be wearing/observing life through the Unwanted Necklace. It sat in its box, on my jewelry armoire (yep, a piece of furniture JUST for my jewelry habit, and, quite frankly, it is full) and I focused on the new stuff instead. Sue and I often refer to how we are going to "get through the week," and I purport to say that this year there is still "no olive in sight" and we are going to need to have ways to "get through the year." New jewelry, recently, has been it. What next? Holiday shopping and merriment I suppose...oh, and there is always the wine!
-Cheryl

On day 1 of the ugly necklace wearing, I break a bead before even leaving the house. 2 fire drills and 2 classes into the day, I notice the bead is broken and half missing. So symbolic of the start of this school year. An ugly first impression, when upon trying to go with it anyway, it breaks down and proves to be unbalanced and flawed . I laugh to myself and continue with my unbalanced day. I look all around my classroom for the missing bead piece and never find it. I decide that it probably represents that the school year will remain broken and unbalanced in addition to ugly. Several hours later, at home, my daughter brings me the bead piece and asks if it is mine. She saw it under the coffee table and thought that it was an olive. I guess I will fix it and maybe hold onto hope that someone will find the olive at school, too.
~Sue