Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda

It’s no secret that going through life is a learning adventure. Try explaining that to the present generation, thusly named “Generation Alpha.” Heck, their living is based on other people’s life experiences on Twitter and TikTok, and besides that, they already know everything, and if in the rare possibility they don’t, they just have to Google it!  

(The heavens save us!)  

Meanwhile, back on planet Reality the rest of the earlier “Greater”generations had to learn about life the hard way by actually living it whileexperiencing the ups and downs and even the things that went sideways way before Googling the subject was even available.(Encyclopedia Britannia only told us so much!)  

 My first “shoulda not” experience was maybe not getting married at the age of 24and not having two nickels to rub together, a decent car or home of my own, and a baby on the way. The second was not investing in Apple home computers when I had a couple of nickels to rub together. Besides, why in the world would anyone want those things in their homes, three-quarters of the world’s population, including myself, would ask? The third was not stockpiling gold and fine diamonds during my life when it was dirt cheap. I would own at least one Hawaiian island today if I woulda. 

That’s when woulda and coulda comes in. I woulda if I could afford to. I‘m in the jewelry business so I have acquired pounds of it but had to sell it to make a living, and let’s not talk about the coulda because now I know later in my life, I coulda and shoulda! 

The only thing that keeps me from terminal depression is the fact I’m not alone in my inflicted misery. I bet we are all guilty in some way or another of not taking advantage of opportunities when they arise, like buying a waterfront home here on the island in the 60s for less than 20K! 

I have hundreds of customers who would hold off making a gold jewelry purchase, telling me they would wait until the price came down. Yeah, okay, well that rarely happens. Reminds me of a customer who wanted to purchase one of my all-solid gold Marco Bracelets when she first inquired 15 years ago. It was a ridiculous $350; she told me she “will wait until the price drops! ”That woman came in year after year, and of course the price went steadily upward right along with the price of gold. I have not seen her for a couple of years; needless to say, that same hand-crafted Marco bracelet in solid 14kt. white and yellow gold she shoulda and coulda purchased over a decade ago for $35 is now over $5,000! The all-sterling silver Marco bracelet is currently $350! 

I have had countless male customers wanting heavy gold chains and bracelets say the same thing “I’ll wait till the price crashes! ”it was more of the same every time they came in…the cost was significantly more expensive on each future visit. 

It is a common occurrence in the shop; folks will look at a piece of jewelry in either the window or showcases and say they really like it a lot. In fact, even “visit” it on more than one occasion. I will tell them we would be more than happy to hold it for them with a small deposit. 

A perfect scenario was this one lady who fell in love with a one-of-a-kind pair of earrings in the window I purchased while traveling in Europe. She “visited” and tried them on more times than I could count. I begged her to leave a deposit, and I will put them aside for her. She declined again and again. Karma happened; a month or so later, while Ms. Shouda walked in the shop, a lady walked past her leaving. She asked panicking, “What happened to my earrings in the window? ”I’m sorry, I believe they were mine, and I swear to you, the lady that just left bought them; in fact, she was wearing them as she passed you out the door! She tried them on, loved them, and bought them without hesitation. 

I told you numerous times they were one-of-a-kind custom-cut canary rutilated quartz; you left no deposit, so they go back out in the window for sale. She was madder than a wet hen! Perfect case of she shoulda! 

Another old generational moral still holds true… You snooze, you lose.