The Bracelet Miracle

Something amazing happened less than an hour ago. I finally took off my bracelet.
That doesn't really sound profound, but it is. I'll explain.

I had bought a Jade bangle over a year ago, and unfortunately it was a tad to small to get on. I wanted to wear it so badly because it was so beautiful and colorful, delicate looking...I thought it was perfect and I had to have it on my wrist.
So one night, in the middle of October, I spent hours trying to force it on my hand. Finally, a miracle in itself at the time, after hours and hours of praying and wishing that it would go on and my hand red and sore, it slipped on effortlessly. At the time that was like a miracle also.

So there I was, happy as heck to have this bracelet I wanted to wear so badly hanging of my wrist and looking so pretty, and then I made a scary discovery. What goes on apparently does not come off. It was stuck on my wrist for over 4 months. Day and night, 24/7. I tried so many times to take it off, but even full of soap the bracelet would just not come off. Nada, not even a budge. Until 10-something pm this evening. Finally, after 4 months, it came off. In fact, it came off almost as effortlessly as it went on in mid-October.

Now I am one of those people that believes in karma and that things happen for a reason. Tonight I feel that my bracelet came off as it did because I was ready for it to come off.

My heart is telling me that this experience was meant to teach me something. Perhaps that is the Buddhist part of me coming out. My first thought was this is a lesson in suffering I had to learn. Not a terrible lesson, but a lesson nonetheless.
I had suffered with the desire to have the bracelet on my hand so much that it had overcome me. I tried every day for two weeks to get it on. After I got it on my hand I was happy for about 30 minutes, and then in horror I nearly cried when nothing would take it off. I had to suffer until I got it on and fulfilled my desire, and then I had to suffer after I realized it was stuck on my hand perhaps for good. A bit of a hard lesson to swallow after the fact.

But I think tonight the powers that be decided had I learned enough, and I was in a better, more accepting place, and for that I am thankful. Something told me it was time to try taking it off again, and I'm glad I listened to my inner feeling. Or, as the famous Charming Pixie Flora would say, my 'inner bell'. It rang loud and clear tonight.

So I have learned my lesson about desire and suffering, and Lord Buddha was right. Desire is the cause of all suffering, and the only way out of suffering is to let go of desire.

I let go of desire, and now I am free. Well, my wrist is.