Charm Bracelet

In 2000 I worked as a technical writer at a manufacturing plant that was located an hour and a half away from where I lived in downstate Illinois. Driving to work was brutal, with heavy traffic and construction in the summer, monstrous snow and ice in the winter, and in the late spring there were violent thunderstorms, high winds, and even tornados. I often cried while driving to and from work.

Then I discovered a charm kiosk at a mall along the way and I began stopping every once in a while to reward myself with a new charm for my charm bracelet. That was so pleasant. Each charm had meaning for me, each represented a moment in my life, like the helicopter ride over the Grand Canyon in Arizona, the alligator I encountered on her nest in Florida, the Floating Shift key just like the typewriter keys that I learned to type on over fifty years ago, the sturdy but retiring turtle that was my spirit animal. All were tokens of my life, significant events celebrated, and a few private losses commemorated. I enjoyed building my charm bracelet, it seemed a nice way to enter the 21st century, by honoring the past with pretty charms.

I do not think that it is in fashion to wear a charm bracelet now, but I very much like having it.

Charm Bracelet

by Annmarie Throckmorton, copyright 2023