Jewelry

My vacation is at its end and I have to head back down the parkway tomorrow. I didn't get as much done as I had planned, but I still had a fun week. It was a little stressful/depressing because of the laptop/EHD problems, but oh well.

I still haven't caught up on my writing assignments. Here's what I wrote on the first day:

May 17, 2012: Jewelry

I am not into decorating. I am not very fancy or stylish. And I am usually running late. So when it comes to wearing jewelry, I keep it simple. I attempt to wear a necklace everyday, but I usually forget. And once in awhile I remember that my ears are pierced (with five holes there’s always a stud at the top of my right ear) and I don earrings. (I had the coolest collection back in the 80s!) I have a few pieces of jewelry that I really love, but most of it just hangs out in one of the jewelry boxes sitting on my dresser. The only piece I wear every day is my silver ring.

I wear my silver, Celtic style ring on the middle finger of my left hand. I feel weird when I forget to wear it like something bad is going to happen. Once in awhile, I misplace it and frantically tear up my room searching for it, always thinking the worst.

I surprisingly get a lot of compliments about my ring. I bought it for $10 at an Irish-type kiosk in Willowbrook Mall years ago. It’s not particularly valuable, but it means the world to me. And that’s because it makes me think of my grandmothers.

Abuela gave me money in a card - I’m pretty sure it was for my birthday - and I used it to buy this ring. It was one of the last gifts I had from her before she died in 2003. And Grandma, who just turned 80, instilled in me a pride of our Irish heritage, which is what drew me to the design with its simple, interwoven strands.

So I call this my Cuban-Irish ring. It ties me to both sides of my family, connecting me to two of the most important women in my life. And when I have it on, I feel like they’re always with me.