An indulgence to unpack emotional baggage

Once upon a time, school rings were an important fashion accessory. It meant something to have the heavy band and colored stone. It identified you as someone with a connection to a history and traditions, if you were a girl with a guy’s school ring it announced that you were dating a college age guy.
I couldn’t wait to get my school ring, it meant I would be a graduate and ready to move on to college. However, when I brought home the packet with all the graduation accessories and showed my dad the ring I had selected, he told me that I didn’t need a colored stone. After all in a few years, I would have a diamond when I got married.
A few years later, I did have a diamond but I also wanted a college ring. After all, my husband had this beautiful ring with a red stone that had USMC on the band.
I missed graduation because I gave birth the day after the ceremony. And since I wasn’t walking, I didn’t send out announcements and I didn’t buy any of the graduation accouterments so I didn’t get my ring or a tassel for that matter.

So this time around when I got the graduation package with all the stuff I could buy, I went straight for the ring. It was expensive but I knew that this was one piece of emotional baggage that I could not afford to bypass. I’ve always regretted not getting either the high school or the college ring – I wasn’t going to spend any time regretting this one. Oh, and I did negotiate a price lower than the one in the package and the one on the website. Never pay retail, baby!!