Realize

So I wear three bracelets all the time.
Two on my left wrist, one on my right.

One on my left wrist is rainbow, with the colors change from one to the next by a single knot with all the colors flowing together. It was made in friendship bracelet style, where it trainsitions smoothly from one end of the spectrum to the next in the soft and shiny thread. My mom bought it for me in Venice beach while my family came down to visit me at UCI.

The other on my left is a strip of soft pink leather like fabric held together by simple thin white cord. Thin blue and yellow cord snakes across the leather, intwining with each other to make softly curved x's around my wrist. My sister gave it to me when she saw it and thought of me; she has one just like it that is dark blue, light blue, and white.

The bracelet on my right wrist is perhaps the most simple of all. A single purple cord loops around through the metal piece in the center and is knotted on the other side; it stretches to slide over my hand. The disk in the center is simple, just a tree that branches from the bottom of the circle to the top. What was once sparkling silver has now tarnished to a crisp bronze shade that shows how much the bracelet is actually worn and touched. I saw this bracelet among others in a vendor's stall and decided to get it- a rarity for me concerning bracelets.

Recently, I realized that I wear these three items for reasons other than just habit.
The rainbow one is my connection to my mother, to my anchor, to the one that I look up to the most. It reminds me to acknowledge all the colors that she has woven through me, even if it is for a brief moment to pause between changing colors. It is a symbol of our new friendship that has grown out of our mother-daughter bond, and unlike other friendship bracelets, this one will not break or wear. Strength, beauty, and kindness warm my heart when I wear this bracelet.

The leather one is my connection to my sister, one of my best friends, and the mentor I looked up to for all of my life (and still look up to today). It is fragile in the wrong element; get it wet and it falls apart. Yet it does not disintegrate but rather unravels until I take the time and effort to carefully wind it back to its original condition. It is my reminder to stay tough in the face of hardships, for I have her supporting me through them even when she is not with me. When I wear it, I think of her and wish that I could share the joy that I feel when I put it on.

The purple banded tree is my connection to myself, my core, my inner calling. It constantly reminds me to be able to stretch out of my comfort zone to have a little fun and be out there, but always draws me back to my center. It is my connection to nature and the environment that reminds me of the promise I made to myself- to help the world, to give back to the earth, and to make a difference in the lives around me.


I see so much in these three bands of hope, love, and lifelong bonds that I often don't notice them until I take them off.
Without them, I feel exposed.
With them, I feel whole.