I hear songs in my head all the time. I’m sure many of you do. Different circumstances provoke a line or two. If in conversation someone says a familiar phrase, it’s sure to remind me of some song that was popular ten or twenty years ago. For instance, Yankee & I were standing at the counter several weeks ago, & one of our regulars walks up with a part in his hand. We both greet him & reach for it simultaneously. He waffles between us, shuffling from one foot to the other, indecisive. “I guess I’m just gonna dance,” he laughs at himself. 

“You can dance if you want to,” Yanked tells him innocently. She’s only 21. Me, on the other hand…I immediately burst into song. “You can leave your friends behind. Cause if your friends don’t dance then they’re no friends of mine,” I sang, hopping around in accompaniment. (Sometimes you get more than you were shopping for at the Co-op. Sometimes you get a song AND dance for FREE).

Anyway, I haven’t worn my wedding rings all week, except for a few hours yesterday, & my ring finger still has a smooth, pinkish colored indention. They’re not too small, they’re just snug enough not to slip off when my hands are wet. I guess it’s just because I’ve worn them for so long now.

But there’s a song for that, too. A snippet of Reba’s “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter”… She sings, “She sees the pale white circle where he wears his ring…” I remember hearing this song as a teenager & wondering how long it would take to noticeably have a mark. I wondered if I would ever be married, or married long enough to be branded this way. Because, since a young woman, I mistakenly viewed marriage as a burden, I didn’t figure it would ever come to me. I figured I wouldn’t want it, if it did come.

Some people aren’t fortunate enough to have rings. I think this is tragic. You can buy gold wedding bands for less than a hundred dollars. But I guess some people don’t have a couple hundred bucks. (“Golden ring -goldn ring- with one tiny little stone…waiting there, for someone to take it home…by itself-by itself- it’s just a cold metallic thing, only love can make a golden wedding ring) I think rings are important. I know women of some social standing, who can now afford to have gigantic flashy diamonds, who still prefer their modest set from when they first wed. I know women who had gorgeous rings to start with, who appreciate their value, but would trade down if they needed the money those rings would bring, hocked. And those are some of the strongest marriages. 

I think you need to wear a ring. Johnny is an electrician, & I had heard of the many added dangers they face by wearing a band. But he doesn’t mind. He wears his custom ring without a thought day in & day out. I wear mine if I leave the house, but leave them off if I’m just tooting around here, on the advice of two different jewelers after I lost the diamond once. (Yes, I found it after having the stone replaced, & then had the replacement uninstalled & the original put back in. With a heavier-duty setting). Anyway. I’m just saying, wear your rings. Women will always look at other women’s hands, measuring their own set against them, but women also look at men’s, judging them for how they behave. Some may see it as a challenge, but for the most part I think it keeps them honest. Most men don’t pay attention; they will flirt shamelessly regardless, if given the opportunity. I think when couples get divorced, it would be one of the hardest things to come to terms with. It would stay there, a reminder for an endless time, & you would notice it in the most unexpected instances. 

I’m proud of my rings, but I’m proud of my line, too.