On Jewelry & Recovery

Coming to California this past week was in part to be here while my mom had knee surgery--spending quality pre-op time poolside and post-op time supporting her through the first days of recovery. My mom is one of those people that makes those around her feel so loved and comfortable. She literally lights up a room. You know what I mean if you've met her. She is a rock star with her knee replacement already. And although nobody can really prepare for the pain and recovery that a surgery brings, this week being one of the more challenging life hurdles to date, my mom continues to light up a room, bum knee, walker, and all. 

She always told me about how as a teenager she and her girlfriends would ride their bikes to the bead store in the summer and make jewelry for hours upon end. I have this image of wild-haired, rosy cheeked girls in their high waisted shorts and 1970's peasant tops pedaling all across town to find a collection of beads, stones, and chains worthy of their jewelry making adventures. (A possible scene from the movie Now and Then? Yes.) And just recently, my mom has picked up her knack for jewelry making again. Am I ever so excited.

Just as she lights up a room, my mother's pieces echo her vibrancy. She cleverly up-cycles parts of old necklaces, earrings, and bracelets, incorporating the old with the new. No unworn, old piece goes to waste. Oh, and the colors! I'm trying to convince her to make more (for me...my friends...for you?) Her style is fitting for so many women, from the more simple to very eclectic. She has a knack. And she loves the process of making.

So why write about jewelry and surgery in one breathe? Recovery (whether it be from surgery or heartbreak, self-perception or loss) partners well with therapy. And I am a strong believer that focusing on something you love and enjoy is the best medicine in life, especially in recovery. Jewelry making is my therapy, she told me, as we were sitting in her garden looking at all she has made this past month, just a few days before her surgery. For my mom, this self-made therapy will be very much a part of her recovery. Her love for jewelry making goes back to her youth, and satisfies the core of who she is and what she would still pedal around town for. I wanted to share with you some of the beautiful necklaces and bracelets she has made already, and maybe inspire you to dig a little deeper inside your heart to piece together what that therapy looks like in your life. Whether in a state of recovery or not, what sings your soul and satisfies the pieces of your being? What helps you mend and feel more like you again? What is your self-made therapy?

Jewelry made by Ida.

Photographed by Lauren Tien.