Retail therapy

A couple of weeks ago, in the midst of a temper tantrum, I did what any good woman would do.  I counted to ten and focused on my breathing punched someone in the face poured myself a drink bought myself a gift. And I love my gift from me so much that I'm totally going to buy another one. Or twelve.

Shh... Please don't tell Joe. By the time he reads this it will be too late. I cannot be stopped. Bwahahahaha!

Anyways, I saw these amazing bracelets on Signals.com. Simple silver bangles with a line of inspiring words. Three issues - I'm not a big fan of bangles, the price was more than I wanted to spend, and the words weren't quite my words.

I set off in search of other bracelets that I could customize, pinging Twitter for assistance. C Beth reminded me of Lisa Leonard's beautiful jewelry. I especially love the lovebird cuff I linked and I'll own it someday but it still wasn't *quite* what I was after for this project - I wanted more letters and less cost.

Finally I hit the old stand-by for personalized gifts - Things Remembered. I found these bracelets, (hoping and praying that link works - it's been wonky) on sale, and with a coupon. Total for one bracelet, engraved on one side and shipped, was $41. Much more acceptable for a splurge indulgence.

I chose the black bracelet and had it engraved with words from a song. The full phrase is: "So take a minute just to breathe And think of everything you wanted And what you got instead". It's actually a David Cook song from his first solo album, Analog Heart. The song, Straight Ahead, is about focusing on what you really want. Just the six words I chose from that phrase are a fantastic reminder for me to focus: "take a minute just to breathe".

I <3 my new bracelet so much. I can't remember if I ever blogged about the bracelet I received from my sister. It was fake pearls and metal spacers, slightly too big for my wrist, and brought me comfort in times of anxiety like nothing else. I spun and counted those beads much like I imagine a Catholic seeks solace from the familiarity of a rosary. And last May, I lost it. I was devastated, had a new bracelet made in the same pattern, Joe bought me yet another bracelet, and neither were the same. This bracelet is different but it's also awesome. I can slide it around, count the beads, play with the beads that dangle. Plus, reading those words helps me to remember an important lesson.

So I'm buying another one. I've already bought black/wisdom. The other choices are green/luck, purple/dream, and rose/love. Which would you choose? And, more importantly, what would you have engraved on it? It can be a single word or up to 4 lines of 12 characters each. I especially love quotes and lyrics but mostly I just want it to serve as a reminder of some important idea. Be creative, I can't wait to see what you come up with. I'd even splurge to engrave both sides for the right quote.

A couple I'm considering (though I haven't counted for viability):

• Hope is faith holding out its hand in the dark.
• focus
• Well-behaved women rarely make history
• Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.
• Good habits are as easy to form as bad ones.
• Let me listen to me and not to them.
• Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.
• We each fill the silence with our own insecurities.
• I do whatever my rice crispies tell me to

And, because I know some of you probably fail at math like me, don't get tripped up on the counting. Feel free to share your favorite quotes you feel are worthy of wearing, even if they won't fit on my bracelet.

By the way, if you came here in search of information regarding the use of robot armadillos in combat, sorry to say you've come to the wrong place.

P.S. I'm kidding about the rice crispies quote. I wouldn't really want to wear that.