May You be as Fascinating as a Slap Bracelet
“May you be as fascinating as a slap bracelet” – an excerpt from the song Have It All by Jason Mraz
While I was thinking about this verse, it dawned on me that people are a lot like slap bracelets. I know. I’ll say it for you… “Huh?!”
But here’s the thing. Slap bracelets have two stable states: one straight, and the other, curled. As long as you don’t bend it, the slap bracelet will stay straight. Some of them even have markings so you can use it as a ruler. But the second you give it a little pressure, SNAP! It curls up and becomes a bracelet. It goes back to its most natural state.
Now think about the people around you. Especially those you know really well. The ones whom you’ve shared your best moments and your worst moments with. You’ve seen them in places where they need to be on their best behavior. And you’ve also seen them where they feel safe to be themselves. Just like a slap bracelet, we humans also go back and forth between two stable states in our daily lives.
When we are little, we’re in the most natural state. We have no issues being the curled bracelet that brings color to our family’s lives. But as we grow up, we learn to be straight. Our parents and teachers tell us that we need to fit well within our society in order to have a safe, untroublesome life. We get straightened out and packaged so we fit better in the shipping box and look presentable on the store shelf.
So, we learn to navigate life, balancing the two states. Sometimes we are a ruler, sometimes we are a bracelet. But don’t forget, our original intent was to be bracelets! We are supposed to curl up and take up room. We are supposed to wrap up and adorn someone else’s life. People don’t carry you around in their hearts because you are a ruler. You go wherever they go because you make their lives fun and interesting!
If you don’t allow yourself to be a bracelet once in a while, I guarantee life will do it for you. You’ll be going along, believing that you’re a ruler. Then BAM! Life will give you a slap on the wrist that forces you to remember that you are a bracelet. So save yourself some trouble. Give yourself plenty of time to be a bracelet!