Valerie

Jobs, relationships, friendships. She kept trying to make things work long after they had stopped feeling right, because she thought being a good person meant being endlessly understanding. The job that looked excellent on paper was the one her body argued with every morning.

The Subtle-but-Strong edit

This is her story

Episode 01.

The hairdresser turned Valerie toward the mirror.

“What do you think?”

Please don’t say you love it.

“I love it,” Valerie said.

I have been on her left ear for six years. I know the difference between Valerie’s face and Valerie’s polite face.

This was the polite one.

It was the fourth bad haircut in a row.

The difficult part was that Valerie liked the woman who had given it to her.

Eleven years of appointments had accumulated between them. They knew about each other’s children, vacations, mothers and lower-back problems.

The haircuts had become a surprisingly small part of the relationship.

At reception, Valerie was offered the same time in six weeks.

She booked it.

In the car, she took a photograph and sent it to a friend.

SHE DID IT AGAIN.

The reply arrived immediately.

THEN STOP GOING.

Valerie began typing.

IT’S COMPLICATED.

She looked at the words for a moment, then sent them.

History is very good at making itself look like complication.

Valerie drove home with a haircut she did not like and an appointment she did not want.

I went with her.

I usually do.

Episode 02.

At 1:17 a.m., something heavy scraped across the ceiling.

Valerie opened her eyes.

Around her wrist, the bracelet felt her pulse quicken.

The new neighbors had moved in fifteen days earlier. Since then, Valerie had developed a routine.

On the third night, she decided she would speak to them.

On the fifth, she decided she would email the landlord.

On the eighth, she decided she would move.

By morning, the decisions always became less urgent.

Perhaps they were still unpacking.

Perhaps the building had thin floors.

Perhaps moving because another person owned furniture was an overreaction.

Tonight, the scraping reached one end of the room, paused and began again in the opposite direction.

Valerie lay awake and decided, once again, that she was leaving.

By breakfast, sunlight filled the kitchen. Her plants looked pleased. The rent was reasonable. The subway was close.

Valerie did nothing.

The pieces she chose

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BRACELET SIZE GUIDE

Measure Your Wrist

Find Your Wrist Measurement

Measure your wrist, then use the size chart to find your HYOU fit.

What You’ll Need

A flexible measuring tape, wired earphone cable, phone charger cable, or a piece of string at least 10 inches long.

Option 1 - Measuring Tape

Measure wrist with measuring tape
  1. Wrap the measuring tape snugly around your wrist where you plan to wear your bracelet.
  2. Keep it close to your skin without pulling it too tightly
  3. Note the measurement where the tape meets.

Option 2 - Cable or String​

  1. Wrap the cable or string snugly around your wrist where you plan to wear your bracelet.
  2. Mark the point where the end meets the rest of the cable or string and mark it with a pen.
  3. Lay it flat and measure from the end to the mark with a ruler and note the measurement.

Building a bracelet stack? Measure your wrist at the point where you plan to wear each bracelet

Size Chart​

HYOU Size-2 Bracelet Length (in) Bracelet Length (cm)
XS 5.75 in 14.6 cm
S 6.25 in 15.9 cm
M 6.75 in 17.1 cm
L 7.25 in 18.4 cm
XL 7.75 in 19.7 cm
XXL 8.25 in 21 cm