That Command Z Feeling.

Sometime around 1988, I began my journey into the world of graphics as a computer designer and desktop publisher. I was just learning how to use a computer and discovering all the amazing things it could do. One discovery in particular felt like pure magic: the Command Z function.

With a simple keystroke, mistakes could vanish. Accidentally delete a drawing? Command Z. Type over a perfect line of copy? Command Z. It was like turning back time, saving me again and again. The relief, the surprise, the joy of undoing a mistake—that feeling was priceless.

But of course, life doesn’t come with a Command Z. For years I wished it did, longing for that same sense of instant relief and second chances. And now, nearly 40 years later, I think I’ve found the closest thing to it in real life.

Since retiring, I’ve had more time to give back to the community, and I’ve found joy in volunteering my jewelry skills at a local repair café. People arrive with treasures in hand, often carrying not just a necklace or bracelet, but the memories and stories attached to them. They place their item on the table gently, with a mix of worry and hope—will it ever be whole again?

As they share its history—who gave it to them, when they wore it, or which loved one it belonged to—I feel honored to try to bring it back to life. And when the repair is done, the look on their faces says it all. The surprise. The relief. The joy. It’s the same rush I felt from Command Z all those years ago.

The truth is, I can’t always restore a piece to exactly how it once was. But often I can mend it well enough to give it new life—and give its owner that priceless Command Z feeling of a second chance.