Reinvention

Why "Reinvention Designs?" It's not particularly beady but the name reflects where I'm at in my life and making jewelry is a part of that. A couple of years ago I found myself, surprisingly, at a fork in what had been a well-defined path. But the Universe, aka the Big U, has a sense of humor and some ideas other than what might be obvious. Within the space of a few months, I learned that my career as an educational administrator/teacher would be ending and that I had cancer. The combination of events left me reeling and pushed me to consider who I was if I wasn't a teacher and wasn't a healthy person.

Love and support from family and friends got me through. Access to excellent health care got me through. My sense of humor and inherent optimism got me through. And beading got me through. What had been a way to relieve stress in a very stressful job became a lifeline. Creating things emerged as a different way to define myself. I learned and am still learning how to focus on one day at a time. Sitting patiently, needle and thread in hand, adding bits of colored glass and watching something beautiful grow on my mat, took me out of my head. I sharpened my gratitude about all the wonderful things in my life and took strength in my fundamental values. It's easy to have values if they have never really been tested. But when the shit hits the fan, you have choices to make.

So this blog is about reinvention in all its messiness. As I have experienced it and continue to experience it. Maybe you're a beader, maybe not. It really doesn't matter. My hope is that something I write will speak to you.