mama confessess:: my nose ring

Freshmen year my roommate casually invited me to go with her to a piercing parlor.  I had nothing planned and was really looking for an excuse to avoid my philosophy paper.  So off we went and little did I know that I would find myself in the piercing chair with a needle sticking in my nose.

I gave no thought to the process.  After everyone had chickened out, the piercer asked if I was getting a piercing and I replied "sure".  I was in love.  My nose ring was something that was truly me.  A little piece of individuality, a representation of my new independence, and it was just plain cute.

It came with me to Europe.  It was with me in Spain, when the doctors begged me to pull it out, and I resisted.  It has survived just as many college parties as I have. It was with me when I fell in love, traveled Alaska, and got married. I even gave birth wearing it. It sounds silly, but my nose ring gave me strength and confidence.

A few weeks ago, I woke up in the middle of the night to find my precious bling missing.  I found a replacement but a few days later woke up ringless again.  This time, I couldn't get my gem back in.  I thought I would try later--maybe the next day.  Two weeks later, my nose is still naked.  This time, it was a choice.

It was time to say goodbye.  The little treasure that got me through college and made me feel special during darker times has laid its grave in my jewelry box.  Kannon has gone from softly feeling faces to pulling, pinching, and scratching everything in sight.  Perhaps it was sign that my nose ring came out on its own rather than being ripped out by the deathly grasp of Kannon.

I miss my piercing.  Sometimes my face feels a little naked....especially when I am unkempt, ungroomed, and running out of the house with less than half a cup of coffee.  It was time to let go.  That piece of my life is history.  I got married, had a baby and moved to Idaho.  I share my life with two wonderful people and I don't need a nose piercing to make me feel special.

Every mother has something special they have been holding onto, reluctant to let go.  Be it high heeled shoes, long hair, or dangling earrings.  Mine just happened to be my nose ring.

So RIP nose ring.  Maybe you will make an appearance another day--for a fancy occasion, April Fool's, or Halloween.  At least I still have my tattoos.