Unboxing Your Fears and Acknowledging the Gift Inside by Jewelry Ambassador Kristen

This summer I was chosen to become a brand ambassador for Beth Millner Jewelry. What a treat! I’ve long admired Beth’s jewelry because, for this Yooper, what’s not to like? All of her pieces are nature-themed, and many of them are inspired by real places in the UP. In addition, she uses eco-friendly practices like using recycled copper from a local mine, and she also offers “fundraiser jewelry” where a portion of the jewelry sales are donated to non-profit organizations.

Before I signed on as an ambassador, one of the promises I made was that I would record and post an “unboxing video” to social media. In exchange for promoting a business I already love, as an ambassador, I would receive some free jewelry pieces, and I’d be sharing with my network of friends the moment I opened my gifts. I definitely thought that I was getting the better half of the deal until I remembered how uncomfortable I am being recorded on video. There’s a reason folks mostly see videos of birds and other wildlife on my pages! 

But a promise is a promise, and as the weeks ticked by and I’d walk past my unopened gift on the counter, I knew I needed to suck it up. I just couldn’t think of a way to make a good solo video without showing my face, and in a moment of serendipity, my friend Krissie showed up and offered to help. Since we were going to go kayaking that day, I figured, “Why not do a two-fer and make it more interesting for people watching?” 

I thank Sweet Baby Yoda every day that I didn’t make a Facebook Live video.

We had wanted to get an up-close view of a cave facing Little Bay de Noc on Lake Michigan, and I thought that it would be the perfect spot to unbox some nature-inspired jewelry in a natural setting.

I didn’t count on the wind and big waves! I should acknowledge that I love paddling inland lakes, but the big waters scare me a bit because I’m not a great swimmer and would likely sink like a stone should I ever capsize. “Suck it up!” I told my inner chicken. “You’re right near shore and have a life jacket and a waterproof bag for your jewelry and phone.”

We didn’t count on the uprooted tree, either, where we’d wanted to pull on shore by the cave, so we had to take out a bit farther down and hike to the cave.

We certainly didn’t count on what looked like poison ivy that we’d need to navigate in sandals to reach the cave!

But we also didn’t count on how beautiful that spot would be when we reached it on a bright, windy, sunny day, with the wind and water serenading us, cheering us on as we reached a more level spot to rest.

Finally, the moment had come that I couldn’t put off any longer. I figured I might as well just wing it and “rip it off like a band-aid” just like I ripped off the edge of the packing box to reveal what was inside.

What was inside the box was just as beautiful a gift as the one I’d just given myself for confronting all my fears that day. Take a look for yourself.

The most terrifying part now over, I could relax and enjoy the gifts I’d been given. Except I was missing one.

During my unboxing video, I’d set my necklace box down on a rock, and it had fallen into a crevasse. The Universe had decided to throw out one more lesson and confront me with the challenge of losing something valuable. Trust me, the hours I’ve spent surfing Beth’s website and pricing the jewelry I loved, I knew that it was the most expensive item I’d received that had fallen down that crevasse!

What do you do in these situations? Apparently, you laugh. And you give thanks for friends who keep you going when you become discouraged and resigned to failure. I managed to pull the first half of the box out while up to my armpit in rock, but all I saw in place of the necklace was a small stone nestled on top. The irony! But Krissie kept me sane and also managed to retrieve that second half of the box for me because that’s what good friends do: They will get you out on a kayak to tackle your biggest fears; walk through poison ivy for you; record you in the most positive light; and then cover themselves in dirt and dust and maybe even bruise a bone or two for you because they realize that YOU are the gift. 

And after reflecting on that experience, I realized that the gift of her friendship is mine.

Now whenever I’ll wear that pendant, I’ll always think of the day that I “unboxed my fears and acknowledged all the gifts I’d been given.” And what a beautiful way to celebrate friendship.

Thanks to Beth Millner Jewelry for being the catalyst for that entire experience. 

Be happy, be well.