Rings

In March, 1999 J-boy gave me a lovely diamond engagement ring. It was/is a beautiful ring and I vowed right then and there to never, ever, ever take it off, ever. That lasted until I went to bed that night. The prongs in the setting picked the sheets and I was afraid that I would loosen the prongs and lose a stone in the bed. I couldn't have that so I took it off. Of course I put it back on quite promptly the next morning. That was my routine for 6 months.

Then in September, 1999 J-boy gave me a wedding band. This time I meant it when I promised to never, ever, ever take it off, ever. And I didn't.

Every morning I would get up and put on my engagement ring as a part of my morning routine. As time progressed, however, it became more and more difficult to get that beautiful ring on & off. Some days, I'd have to get my finger very soapy to coax that ring off. Eventually, I stopped putting it on. I told myself that working in the non profit world, I didn't want to be 'showy', but I knew even then that wasn't the truth.

The wedding band? Forget get about it. There was no way it was coming off. There was a time when my finger got swollen and I feared that the ring was going to have to be cut off. We managed to avoid that, but it was a bit of scare to day for sure.

One of the benefits of losing weight, that I listed before I began this journey, was that my rings would fit better. And they did. I restarted my routine of putting my engagement ring on in the morning when I got up and took it off at night before bed. The wedding band stayed right in place with no trouble.

I asked J-boy some time ago if my rings got too big would he have them cut down as a gift to me for losing weight. He, of course, agreed.

In the last few days and weeks, they have really gotten quite loose. I know that part of the problem is the cold. My fingers 'shrink' in the cold making even perfectly fitting rings a little on the loose side. Along about Thursday of last week, I went to flush the toilet at work, with my left hand and felt my rings slipping. I immediately made a fist so that they didn't fall into the toilet, so there was no drama. I knew then, that I'd have to do something soon.

I got a pretty chain to wear on which to wear some of my other favorite rings, but that didn't seem like the right idea for these rings. I put them on my middle finger and decided to discuss with J-boy the best course of action. Our conversation went something like this:

Me: Showing him my hand with the rings on the middle finger, "Look, my rings have gotten too big."

Him: Apparently not noticing that my rings were on the 'wrong' finger. "Maybe you should stop wearing them for now."

Me: Coyly "What will I do about all the men that will hit on me?"

Him: "They're creeps, don't worry about them."

Me: Still trying to be coy "Do you think only creeps will hit on me?"

Him: "Yes, only a creep hits on a married woman."

Me: "How will they know I'm married, if I don't have my rings on?"

Him: "Oh...well...keep them on."



So, for now, they are on the middle finger of my left hand. I'm less than 30 pounds away from my goal and I don't think they'll get too big for that finger. If they do, I have my index finger and thumb!