New thing #28: Pandora's bracelet

My kids surprised me on Mother's Day by getting me a Pandora bracelet. I've been admiring them for quite a while so I was thrilled to actually own one. It's beautiful, in silver, with the unique Pandora charms and beads that clip onto the bracelet. They bought me 2 charms to start me off. One is a suitcase to remind me of all the great places I've visited, and the other says "MOM"- but they put it on upside down so it would say "WOW" instead. I love those kids! This is so much better than the charm bracelets I remember, with all those little dangles that snagged your arm hairs and pulled them out by the root.

I'm looking forward to adding to the bracelet in the years to come. I really like the birthstone charms. I'll get topaz for The Girl and peridot for The Boy, so my color palette is established.  I'll collect a forever charm for Senior and a sibling charm for my sisters and the memory of my brothers.  I know I'll share some best friend beads with those special women who enrich my life. But I don't know if I'll find a bead that can help me figure out how to heal the pain of a broken friendship. Or a charm to remind me of the mom I used to have, before dementia took her away from me.

And since humor is a necessary part of life, I'll need a bright red bead to symbolize the countless times I've sunburned my nose on our motorcycle trips. And maybe a charm shaped like a flattened bird, like the one that flew into my leg on one bike trip to Nova Scotia.  A charm shaped like a sling would remind me of the hard-earned lesson that it's never a good idea to stand on the arm of your couch. Maybe I can even find a memento of my favorite cousin's teenage alter-ego, Diaperman. Although on second thought, wearing a giant diaper on my wrist would probably give people the wrong idea. Instead I'll choose something to remind me of the way my dad would come alive for two weeks every summer at The Woods, where he could throw off the stiff attorney persona he wore the rest of the year.

This bracelet is the perfect vehicle for me. I've never been a big collector, since clutter makes me crazy. But one thing I do love to gather is memories. I might even collect fifty new ones before this is full.