My ring broke.
In the same fashion as all the previous ones have, with a perfectly horizontal crack, like a fault-line in a once infinite loop.
I don’t wear a lot of jewelery. At one point in 1999 I had two rings and a bracelet, all silver. I gave the smaller ring away, which I had worn on my left pinky, to a girl I had just met. I didn’t have any romantic intentions at the time, it just felt like she should have it. Just before I went to France I gave the bracelet to my girlfriend at the time, that she would have something to remind her of me. That she broke up with me while I was in France (and she in India), means either it didn’t work, or it worked all too well.
Since then, I’ve constantly had one ring on the ring finger of my right hand. Stupid people ask me constantly if I’m married. Wrong hand. Okay, some of them weren’t stupid, they were Japanese. I have no idea what, if any, customs they have surrounding rings and marriage, and don’t expect them to know ours. But other people have asked, and they were, in fact, dumb.
Now that we’ve cleared that up.
Rings have always had a lot of symbolism for me. They’re both small and go on forever. By themselves, they’re empty. Worn, they’re a part of you. I’ve always thought that silver, too, was a very neat metal. So yes, they’re very symbolic, and when they break, it usually portents change. Usually, I suspect it implies a breaking free of residual attachments that are holding me back. This, in turn, implies a heightened ability and chance to move on to something new and good. Sometimes, it means I’d better shape up and change some of my bad habits, because even things which seemed to go on forever can all of a sudden have an abrupt end. Once that crack is there, you can still hold the ring together for awhile, but you can never really get rid of it. I used to wear cracked rings until they completely broke in two. Now I’m much more ready to let go of them when they say it’s time. Holding on until the bitter end has never really done anyone much good.
Who knows, maybe I attach way too much meaning to a piece of metal. But I think they’re cool, and it never hurts to have a little impetus to create some revolution. Besides, my necklace broke pretty recently as well, so it’s obviously like, a sign from the heavens or something. Yes, that’s right. God broke my ring.
*FREEDOMCOSTSABUCK-O-FIVE*
2 replies on “Important portent, or impotent?”
it’s important to have symbols in life. these days the external world doesn’t often provide ones we invest deeply enough in for them to guide us and remind us regularly of what’s important to us, i.e. Easter Bunny, the flag, even those WWII dudes hoisting it on the hill.
i think it’s awesome to crystallize and give shape to our personal beliefs and spiritual hunches by concentrating on certain symbols that we choose to invest with meaning. just because we’re alone in it doesn’t make it untrue. of course we shouldn’t get dogmatic and remember that the symbol represents a level of understanding and connection with truth. at some point, hopefully, we’ll outgrow that level and take stock all over again of what we invest meaning in.
so you go on with the ring fetish-I mean interest. personal mythology rocks! i need more. alright…from now on I invest deep meaning in statuettes of gnomes. it’ll work. you’ll see. think “Amelie”….
I have that one silver woven lookin’ ring of yours. I was going through my jewelry the other day (it’s all piled in a ziploc bag in my skivvies drawer, haha) and it was looking up at me going, “watchoowant foo.” I can send it if your finger feels narkid.
I can’t find my ring. I am powerless without it. It’s my ranger ring. I wear it on my left index finger just like aragorn. You have to wear it to be able to wield Narcil. Um, yeah. And now I can’t find it!!! :: fetal position ::