Item of the Week 012

My Pandora bracelet is very special and meaningful to me and I am surprised I haven't posted it here before. Almost four years ago, for my high school graduation and formal, Rydog bought me the Pandora bracelet with a cat, present and flower charm. We had only been going out for a short time so I was very surprised to receive such a generous and beautiful gift particularly at such an early stage of the relationship. In the years since then I have accumulated a number of different charms, primarily from Rydog and my mother in law, which hold sentimental value to fill the bracelet. For example, I received the teacup to remind me of Nana after she died, the graduation hat after completing my first year at university, the shoe to represent my obsession with shoes and the 'I' for my name. I used to wear it every day but now I save it for special occassions in order to maintain the quality.





In addition to the sentimental value of each individual charm this bracelet reminds me of one of the most significant and memorable times of my life which was when I finished school and entered into a relationship with Rydog. I have written about this a number of times before, most recently here and it is a time that I remember with extreme clarity. It was a year of mixed emotions and a myriad of changes and it was also one of the hardest years of my life as I pushed myself to achieve high results and gain entry into my law and commerce degree. It was also one of the most rewarding times of my life when I consider my achievements and I have never felt such a high degree of self satisfaction as I did after I finished school. Now I look back, I admire so many qualities I had back then which I don't believe I possess anymore. I have generally felt that I haven't lived up to my potential and expectations and I miss the respect and admiration that I commanded everywhere I went. I miss that high school girl that I was back in 2007. This bracelet reminds me of who I used to be.

I know that a number of you have told me to focus on the positive aspects of my life now and that we often remember the past more favourably than it actually was and I greatly appreciate these comments. I just think it is only natural to focus on the past and favourable times in our lives. I am gradually moving on...



It is interesting for me to look back on the night I received this bracelet because it marks the start of an era. It was the night that Rydog and I publicly announced that we were dating and the first night I ever went out with my future parents in law for post formal celebrations. I look back at the immense number of times that I have been out with them ever since and how Rydog and I have progressed to the point of being engaged. It was also the first time I had ever been to a night club, experienced a proper night out in the city and taken a long walk on the beach in the middle of the night. It was very beautiful and one of the most enjoyable nights I have ever had. However, I also remember feeling extremely conflicted. I had a number of simple but different experiences that night . It was a change from my normal academic, innocent, goody goody and sheltered life and I remember desperately wanting to break away from that lifestyle but knowing that I would have to wait another two months until my final exams were over.