Remake a Necklace, Define a Life

Two months out of the year I hang baubles on a tree.  I decorate myself year-round in pretty, dangly jewelry. Most of it is inexpensive and that’s just fine with me. So, it didn’t hurt too much when I deconstructed a long, awkward bead necklace to make something I’d actually wear.

It all started with a silver-colored necklace from the clearance rack. The length and drop felt perfect. The long, old-fashioned bead necklace wanted so badly to look that cool.

I preserved the knots between the beads for stability. Nice workmanship for something I bought at a garage sale. Instead, I snipped the necklace open, removed a bead from each end to leave the strings dangling and hung it off my neck while wearing the silver necklace. I used a safety pin to mark where I wanted the necklace to close and cut off the extra, leaving the long strand’s ends even. Forget trying to sew the beads to each other; in the end I twisted 24 gauge wire to join the three bead strands.

It took much longer than I anticipated, but that was time I might have spent making for someone else. It occurred to me creating a new accessory from one that wasn’t working for me was part of creating a new life for myself. The old ways of trying to be perfect for everyone else and deferring my dreams have become a thing of the past.

I no longer care if some people like me if their approval means I have to try to fit into their narrow description of acceptable behavior. I can be proud to be a hard worker now that most of my earnings support me and not the unappreciative.

I can spend an inordinate amount of time making myself a necklace because I’m worth it. I love my life and the people who enrich it.