The other day we were walking through the LA Zoo & I came across this African-beaded bracelet. I don't know why but for some reason I just love wandering through shops, all kinds and all over. The Zoo is no exception, no matter how many times we go and continue to go with our new season pass I will always wander all the different shops and stores all around the park. I love seeing all the different stuff and just watching, observing and checking things out. There are always those things too that you find when you are out living life on your adventures that just speak to you. Not in that cliche kind of way but in the way that you see something and it's just like a click or a pop. Like something sliding into place. A key into a keyhole, literally and metaphorically. Keys in life are abundant, they are metaphorical and metaphysical as well as real and tangible and purposeful. I could go on and on about keys forever and their meaning, use and symbolism but right now the kind of key I want to focus on is the kind that you don't use to open doors but to keep yourself open throughout the everyday ups and downs that life brings your way. Maybe it's me, maybe I am crazy, but there are certain things in life that just fall into your path - things. It borders on materialistic, but it's not. It's not about owning or having something or yearning or holding on to something. It's about finding things that bring your Joy and strength and using those things to bring your life the boost it sometimes needs to keep going. For example, ever since somewhere around high school I have had this thing with having some kind of pendant around my neck. Something I never take off, occasionally for a shower but nothing else. It is always something that I find of pick out and that has meaning to me, never anything cheesy - always something respectable, fashionable or trendy. The point is that each one means something to me and always having it on, for some reason, gives me strength and makes me feel like I have it in me to keep going when I get frustrated and want to just give up and quit. It is a part of me, a part of my identity - and it means the world to me. One was a metal beach pendant with a shell from Hollister, one was a meteorite in silver while the one I am currently wearing is a Sterling Silver fishhook with a nice J-shape that has golden thread on top and a pearl I hand-picked from an Oyster in its hook. That hook reminds me of the water which brings me peace and the pearl comes from the water itself. It is my birthstone and it is the only living stone which makes it the coolest thing ever and each one different and unique. This necklace means a lot to me and when I see it in the mirror it brings up certain emotions and feelings. A positive reinforcement tool. These things though, they are presented to us by the Universe, they are not left up to our own devices of choosing. 
It can be anything anywhere, from a thrift store to a park seasonal outpost, or an old used bookstore or in the mall you love going to all the time. Take a moment to look, take a moment to feel and open yourself so that you will recognize those things when they speak to you.
We all have our things, my brother has his X-Box and I know it means the world to him in so many different ways. My Dad has his one of his US Military Dog Tags on his keychain still, which is one of my favorite things about him. Maybe checking out at the gas station you see a silly little toy that just makes you laugh or at the grocery store you see a character from one of your favorite kids movies on a nerdy glass or plate that just makes you grin from ear to ear. Maybe it's a copy of a certain old edition book you find in an antique bookstore, a book you read as a child in middle school and never thought you would read ever again. Or that same book signed by the author. Or a jellyfish frozen in glass from your honeymoon visit to the Shark Reef in Vegas. Whatever it is it doesn't matter, what matters is that it brings you Joy in some way. It allows you to live life the way it is meant to be, in the present. It is up to you when to move on from an object to another, sometimes letting go is really really hard (especially if we really like the item we are trying to let go of) but we have to bear in mind that change and growth require sacrifice and pain sometimes in order to get us to a better place. Your token may not be your token in ten years or so, but will you and your Joy still be the same after that same time? No - and that's ok too. The key thing to remember is that Joy comes from the world around and within us, and the things out in that world speak to us as individuals and call to us in order to help strengthen and guide us on our quest to freedom. We must keep ourselves open to what the Universe is sending our way or we will miss all the true gifts that we are meant to receive.
This green bracelet of African-beads came from the LA Zoo, I saw it while I was purusing the other day. I saw it out of the corner of my eye and had to do a double take. I had felt something, that spark - that knowing. That's when you get a little bit of that extra pep and quickness in your step in the store trying to make your way over to what piqued your curiosity. You know it has to be real when you get that feeling of hoping against all odds that other people don't get them all before you get there because if they are out you are going to have to explain to your inner self that little feeling of letdown.
Those little things are the things that make us who we are, make us us. I saw that bracelet and I saw a million things at once, I saw the Africa that my parents brought back from their trip & safari when I was a kid and the fascination that grew throughout my childhood and I saw the beaded bracelet my parents had brought me back. It is too small now, but still priceless to me. My husband got me these beads, I could have gotten the more expensive band but for some reason I just felt right deep down about this one and when I hesitated and tried to change my mind it felt wrong. It is really Earthy to me with the colors, the Earth-Green is really calming and peaceful and it makes me feel balanced and centered - just like my tattoo. It reminds me of my parents and my family and growing up, it reminds me of my loving husband and his amazing generosity and it reminds me that I am Joyful and that that is all I really need to know. Remember to keep yourself open and don't be deaf to the world around you. It is constantly sending you messages and gifts and tools, but if you close yourself off then you will never reap the rewards or benefits of it's treasures. Use the tools you are given, spend the extra 10$ on that little souvenir on the counter that you want. Take it home and put it on your desk, or next to your coffee machine. Put it somewhere where it makes you smile. Do it for you - for no one else other than you. Then share it, not for you - but for the world. Here's my challenge - find something that speaks to you and get it. Keep it somewhere closeby. Maybe it's the tiny carved stone turtle or the leather journal or the baseball mitt or even the dancing hula man for your dashboard from the 99-cents store. Pick it up and let it make you Joyful, then you can do the same for others.
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