At Thanksgiving I received a beautiful gift. My aunt, the one whom we croned, gave me a silver necklace shaped like a dancer.  One arm is raised above her head, the other stretches across her body.  She is leading with her shoulder, her torso arched.  Her dress ripples in a silver breeze.

I have to admit, it’s not the sort of thing I would have picked out for myself.  The first thing I thought when I saw it was, “I can’t wear that!  It’s way too big!”  Holding it in my palm I can’t close my hand over it.  It is absolutely gorgeous, but man is there a lot of it.

The longer I looked at it, though, the more right it seemed.  First of all it is a gift from a beloved aunt, and secondly it is in commemoration of my belly dance PhD.  It is a singularly meaningful gift.  Of course I love it.  But when I saw it at first I was afraid of it–this giant dancer necklace.  It is bold.  This is not a sweet little tame necklace that you might wear on the bus on the way to work, handbag clutched tightly in lap, hat perched primly on head.  This is a necklace for adventure.

As soon as I tried it on I knew what it really was: this necklace is an invitation.  An invitation to be bold.  And I knew what I must do: look the invitation square in the typeface, and respond with vigor.  I’m no wallflower as it is, but this necklace is a challenge–a challenge to be more daring.  It is also permission to smash through all the CAN’Ts and reach for a YES.  What an incredible gift.

My bold necklace–I feel like I’m putting on armor when I wear it.