Fixtures of Life

March 12, 2018

During our lives, we have many things that are fixtures in them. Some may change from day to day, making our days, weeks and years, with life constantly changing. We may one day change a light bulb but the next few weeks, we don't change any light bulbs. It doesn't mean that the light bulb or the act of changing it is not important, it just means that it doesn't need our attention at the moment. What about a relationship? Total opposite of a light bulb. A relationship needs constant attention in order for it to remain healthy. The attention can come in the form of a simple gesture like a gentle touch, a hug or kiss. Or it could mean lending a helping hand when no one is looking. Either way, a relationship needs attention to flourish and grow with each stage of its life in order to make it a fixture.

A lot of us put too much attention on something we "think" is a fixture only to find out that it really wasn't. This could be someone you thought was a "friend" and you worked really hard at being a good friend to them, only to find out your "friend" didn't feel the same way about you. But what about the fixtures we don't "see"? They are the ones that we have made permanent without even realizing, the ones that have become a part of who we are. It could mean ALWAYS being known for having a cup of coffee midday. Maybe it is ALWAYS wearing a bow tie to work or ALWAYS wearing a pair of VANS. Some people put on a wedding ring (I'm in the process of getting divorced, so no wedding ring here), or a watch (I certainly don't live my life by time constraints). But I DO put on my necklace every morning. It wasn't anything extraordinary. I had purchased it for a mear $6!!! I loved it and that was all that mattered to me. It was a fixture OF me.

Over time, my necklace became tarnished and I couldn't wear it anymore and had to stop. It was then that people began asking me, "Where is your necklace?". People saw it as a FIXTURE of me. After enough questions and thought, I finally decided to make it a permanent fixture of my life. I had my necklace created into a one-of-a-kind piece that I can leave with my children long after I am gone. There is a story to it, of my journey over the past year, that the children know and can appreciate why it has become a FIXTURE in my life, (not to mention that my sister made this piece for me).

In the end, it can be the smallest of fixtures that help us identify with who we are or what we want the world to know about us. I say that whatever your FIXTURE is, wear it with pride!!! It's how you feel that is the most important in life and don't let anyone else tell you or make you feel differently!!!