The Jewelry Artist Diaries 4:
An Enlightening Encounter in the Bead Aisle
by Rena Klingenberg. © 2003-Present Rena Klingenberg. All Rights Reserved
I was in a craft store, looking at seed bead mixes.
As I was deciding which color mix to choose for my project, another lady entered the seed bead aisle.
She was wearing sunglasses.
I couldn’t help noticing that she kept raising up her sunglasses above her eyes to squint at the seed beads, then putting the sunglasses back over her eyes.
She said, “I forgot to bring my glasses with me, and I’ve been running errands all day. My sunglasses are prescription, but they’re too dark for seeing indoors.”
So when she raised her sunglasses above her eyes, she could see the bead colors, but everything was blurry.
And when she lowered the sunglasses again, her eyes could focus, but she couldn’t see colors through the dark lenses.
She added, “Every store I’ve gone to today, I’ve had to ask people to help me read the packaging and price signs.”
As we chatted, I admired her Czech glass bead earrings, and looked to see if she was wearing a necklace.
She wasn’t wearing a necklace.
But hanging front and center from the neckband of her T-shirt was a folded-up pair of regular glasses.
I pointed at them and said, “Would those glasses work?”
Her hand flew to her throat and landed on the glasses.
“Oh my gosh! I can’t believe that!” she said. “I’ve been walking around with them ALL DAY! Thank you so much.”
She took off the sunglasses right away and put on the regular glasses.
“I feel so silly,” she laughed. “I wonder what all those people who helped me today were thinking!”
