Charmed

I am certainly not a frou-frou kind of girl. I hate carrying a purse. I buy my shoes at outlet stores and have far fewer of them than most of my girlfriends. I hate dressing up in formal attire and would rather put on my comfy “slogging suit” as I call it, because it’s obvious I do not jog and never will.

I like to go around town and to the grocery store without make-up and maybe that’s because I have to wear so much of it when I am on TV that sometimes I need a relief. I’ve always said if I got in a car accident on my way to work, they would put me in jail assuming I was a hooker buttered up for the kill with layers of foundation, plus colorful cheeks and lips. Most of my jewelry is cheap costume stuff, and not because Chuck never buys it for me. He actually has surprised me with a few impressive pieces.

But speaking of jewelry, there are a few oldies but goodies that I have never stopped wearing despite the fact they went out of style years ago. I’m sure some people laugh at me when they see me wearing these items. They are probably saying, “Get over it already”! Who dictates what’s in vogue and what is not anyway? Where is that written? Is there a National Jewelry Board of Directors I am not aware of?

Perhaps you too have a charm bracelet. My wonderful parents presented me with mine upon my eighth-grade graduation. That was when gold was so much cheaper than it is today. They even added a graduation cap charm. You know, the one with the tassel on it that kids throw in the air upon receiving their diploma. The following year, they added a clown charm for my birthday since I was always the family comedian, and a Christmas tree charm was happily discovered among my Santa presents. My best friend, Randy gave me a beautiful heart charm and soon the bracelet jingled with every move I made, certainly like the Pandora ones most women have today. But sadly, in the late seventies, needing a down payment to buy my first house, I cashed in the charms, and everything else of value I could get my hands on including gold pieces from previous boyfriends, but luckily held on to the bracelet. After all these years, it has never tarnished or faded. It looks brand new.

Do you remember Add-A-Bead necklaces? Well, I still have mine from the 60s and wear it often. It has thirteen beads as I was born on the thirteenth of December and that’s always been my lucky number. Filling it up with beads would never have been my style. Thirteen was perfect.

What did you do with your college ring? Since I was on the ring design committee at Francis Marion University, I guess mine was more precious to me than most college rings are to folks later in life. Besides, it is black onyx and I can wear it with just about every piece of clothing in my closet, so I had it made into a pendant on a gold chain. I get more compliments on that than any other piece of jewelry in my collection, except for my wedding ring in the shape of a flower. Thank you, Chuck.

The way I figure it, there’s no sense in wasting old gold jewelry just because I GOT OLD, right? And now, I also have my grandmother’s wedding ring, and my mom just recently gave me hers. I guess I’ll have to start to alternate wearing them with my “slogging suit” or change my attitude and start acting sophisticated and dressing up more.

So, as you can tell, I am very nostalgic BUT you’ll be proud of me when I tell you just last year, I finally got rid of my mood ring and Spiro Agnew watch. I tried turning them over to a consignment shop figuring they are antiques now and must be worth something! But no one was as “charmed” with them as I once was!!! So be it!