Did you ever read/see the films, "Lord Of The Rings"? I had never seen them until my recent trip to Kauai. My oldest daughter brought the entire set of movies with her. I have also never read the book(s). Have you seen the size of that trilogy novel? Holy crap. I draw the line at any book that is thicker than Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. My brain just shuts down. I get too overwhelmed to even hold the dang thing, let alone read it. It reminds me of my Med/Surg book in nursing school--weighed about 10,000 pounds, and certain to put me to sleep in a heartbeat.
If you haven't seen the Lord of the Rings, you've probably heard of it, or at least heard people make reference to some characters in it. One of the characters is, Gollum. He's this little freaky, anorexic looking dude, who has sharp teeth, walks/jumps around in a cloth diaper/loin cloth, and has a serious case of schizophrenia. He is in each of the books, and is completely obsessed with this ring throughout the entire story. The ring owns him. It completely controls his thoughts. He is determined to have the ring at any cost.
As some of you know, I just sold my beautiful Tiffany & Co platinum and diamond engagement ring from my previous marriage. It was a very bittersweet moment. Some people are probably like, "Dude, it's just a ring, get over it." However, it wasn't just a ring to me.
Do you remember growing up and having hopes, and dreams for yourself? That was what this ring represented to me. As a matter of fact, I had this very ring picked out way before I ever had a man in my life that I was considering marrying. I had actually ripped the picture of it out of a magazine when I first found it, and I put it in my scrapbook with the title, "The Ring".
It was amazing. So simple, yet totally gorgeous. I had always had a thing for Tiffany & Co bling, but this ring was UNBELIEVABLE. As a matter of fact, I had done a fair bit of ring browsing over the years, and never saw a single ring I ever wanted, or would consider wearing for the rest of my life--until the Tiff's ring. It was THE ONE.
As fate would have it, I actually got married in May of 2000, and was proposed to with "The Ring". I was so amazed when I opened my little blue box and found what my heart had desired for so long inside. It sparkled beyond belief. The platinum was so shiny it was blinding. It was perfection--and it was mine!...FINALLY!!!
As the years went by, the ring never lost its beauty. I cherished it. It was my treasure. I remember looking at it on numerous occasions throughout my 8 year marriage, and thinking to myself, "I wish my marriage was as perfect as this ring." But it wasn't. On the day of my 8th anniversary, and after numerous years of struggling to make things work, I asked for a divorce. Seems strange that on the day I said, "I do" eight years prior, was the day I said, "I can't do this anymore" 8 years later.
The ring has since resided in its case in my little blue Tiffany box in my bedside stand. I took it in to be resized about 6 months ago to see if I could wear it as a right hand ring. After paying a couple hundred dollars to have this done, I got it home, opened the box, and it was just as beautiful as it had ever been. I slipped it on my right hand ring finger, held my hand out so I could glance at its beauty from a distance, and then got a sinking feeling in my stomach. As much as I loved the ring, it had no meaning. It felt tainted. I didn't want it on my hand anymore.
I also didn't want to sell it. I don't know why. I guess I still had the idea that it was, "The Ring", and that no other ring would ever be superior to it. However, logically, I knew, and finally came to terms with the fact that IT WAS JUST A RING. Gorgeous. Perfect. Meaningless. Useless.
It had to go. I had held on to it long enough. All it was doing was sitting in my drawer looking beautiful. It was like that line in Dirty Dancing where Patrick Swayze says, "Nobody puts baby in the corner!". It needed to go on a new adventure--and I was hoping its next adventure would be happier than anything I had ever put it through.
I felt like Gollum in a way. I was holding on so tightly to something that no longer had any meaning. It was strange to come to terms with my emotions, but finally got up the courage to post it on Craig's List, and eBay. What I wanted more than the money?...I wanted someone to buy it who was going to put it to good use. I didn't want it to go to some jewelry wholesaler, or some pawn shop.
After posting the ring, I had a fair bit of people contacting me who were interested. Some sounded legit. Others?...not so much. A couple people sounded like serial killers as a matter of fact. It was very intimidating for me, especially being home alone, and a single woman. Could these people track me down? I became hyperparanoid.
Finally, about a two weeks ago I received a message on eBay. It was from a guy who lived up in Frisco, Colorado--about an hour or so away from where I am. He said that he had a girlfriend who lived out of state, but that she would be flying in for the weekend, and he wanted to propose to her with my ring. I was STUNNED. He was the most legitimate person I had contact with while trying to sell the ring. The kicker?...since he was proposing during the upcoming weekend, he wanted to drive down and pick up the ring at my house. I was scared at first. I didn't like the idea of being the only one here when I met him face-to-face. However, he purchased the ring, paid for it right away through eBay/PayPal, and I felt like it would probably be ok for him to pick it up.
When he got to my house, he walked in and was completely shy, yet excited to see the ring. When I had it sent off to be resized and appraised, Tiffany & Co polished the ring and when the box was opened it just BEAMED. His face lit up. I gave him all of the appraisal paperwork, the case, the blue Tiff's box, and even ironed the white ribbon so it would look brand new for him on the big day. He was so grateful, and I could tell he was excited for his future, and the symbol of his future that he now possessed.
I did make him promise to contact me after his proposal to let me know how it went. He was taking her up to Yellowstone for the weekend, and that was where he was going to pop the question. A few days later, this arrived in my email inbox...
with the caption, "SHE SAID, "YES"!!!" He also said that the size was PERFECT and that it didn't need to be adjusted. The irony? He had no idea what size her finger was before purchasing. It was like all the stars in the universe had aligned properly. I had the ring resized from a 5.25 to a size 6 to fit my right hand-- Size 6 just happened to be the size of her ring finger.
Cheers to my happy ending, and to their happy beginning. I couldn't be more thrilled. Never has it felt so good to let go of something that I used to hold on to so tightly. Along with being able to let go came the realization that, as beautiful as it was, it was just a ring. It was nice to get the "Gollum" out of me.
Onward, and upward.
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