This morning, having neglected a certain birthday gift purchase almost too long, I dashed over to the Ben Franklin store for some things I'd planned to pick up for weeks, but for which I hadn't made the time. After I'd chosen the items and lolligagged in the yarn and art supplies for awhile, I went to the bead section to find something for a basket, maybe.
As I was perusing, an older woman--it turned out she was 75--mentioned the high prices and suggested a better source for such things at a big discount (http://www.firemountaingems.com/). I asked her if she made jewelry (I ask the critical questions--she was generously adorned), to which she answered in the affirmative (duh), and which kick-started a conversation that covered many subject areas from airline travel to crocheting to her background in software programming for NASA).
She, then, opened up what I supposed was her purse (a very reasonable assumption), but which turned out to be her traveling jewelry kit (her actual "purse" is her pocket--much safer when she travels). She showed me a little zippered pouch containing about 10 tiny ziplocks, each with a pair of earrings inside. I oohed and aahed. Then told me to choose one. Of course, I politely declined-- repeatedly. Oh, no, I couldn't possibly...But she insisted, so I chose a nice pair with silver and hematite beads. As she pulled it out for me, she explained that she loves to give earrings away to folks: people she meets or who wait on her in some way. In her kit, she carries the findings and tools that allow her to change the top of the earrings if the recipient might prefer a different style (posts to french hooks, for example). She figures she gives away about 1000 pairs a year. We chatted a few more minutes, then she wished me a good day and went off to the check-out counter.
Jewelry-making and crocheting keep her mind off of various kinds of chronic body pain, she told me. But, I'll bet that the fruits of her labors and her generosity also assuage others' pain, as well, from time to time. I hope to bump into her, again, soon. I could use something with a little green in it...
