Use what you have beauty (Valentines Tip)

What is on your wrist right now? Is it a hair band if so this post is for you!

I am guilty too.

And have a silly little story...

One weekend my husband took me on a date which included a professional manicure. Not your ordinary sit in a chair and have your nails done manicure. It was a sit back relax, in a room that smelled like incense while music played, have a hand massage, soak your hands in a bowl of perfumed liquid that has flowers floating in it type of manicure.

Truly, I am spoiled.

So there I was laying back in the chair eyes closed enjoying the music, and thinking: it is so nice to get away from it all every now and then. When the manicurist lifted one hand from the beautiful bowl to massage it and asked "may I take the rubber band off your wrist?"

The what... ?

My eyes still closed and head full of fragrance and flowers.

Slowly real life drifted in,

oh... the HAIR rubber band.

Here I was dressed to the hilt for this special occasion and I still had a hair rubber band on my wrist. I couldn't help thinking, how silly, how embarrassing, and how out of place, for this beautiful atmosphere. "Yes" I said, "you may take off the hair rubber band".

"Isn't it funny how we forget to wear bracelets we have, yet we have these on our wrists all the time?" the manicurist said. 

(she was being kind)

Next came more hand pampering, the nail polish, and some more relaxing in the chair with my eyes closed while waiting for the polish to dry.

"Did you want the rubber band back on your wrist?" came the manicurist's disembodied voice again.

Are you kidding? Seriously, there is no way I am putting that back on my wrist I thought. "No thank you" I said aloud.

Later that day we went window shopping in one of our favorite tourist towns.

We stopped in a little jewelry shop. It was full of trinkets and exquisite hand made items in addition to some very beautiful jewelry. An artist must own this shop because all the displays were put together into amazing arrangements. I remembered this store from a previous trip we had made to this town and made my way over to a little stand with very pretty bracelets on it. Picking one up I thought really should get a bracelet to wear since I was wearing a rubber band earlier. 

Then like in some sort of goofy movie the manicurist's words came back to me "Isn't it funny how we forget to wear bracelets we have..." and with those words I remembered our last trip this town, we had visited this very store, and I had bought a bracelet from this very stand. That bracelet was now somewhere at the bottom of my jewelry box and it was even more beautiful than the one I was looking at right now. I had worn maybe twice, before it was neglected and forgotten. "Did you want to get that?" my husband interrupted my thoughts. Looking at the bracelet, I said "oh, no, it just reminds me of one I already have" and put it back.

Lesson learned! 

Kind of a silly lesson, but with valentines day coming up instead of going out and buying new things I double check what I already have. Clothing, jewelry, makeup, hair stuff, etc. and I take a little time to organize these things so that I do not forget to use what I already have.

And, I wear this bracelet every now and then just to remember to be thankful for what I have and who I have to share it with.