To ring or not to ring: A marriage question

Something is not ringing true in my marriage.

And by something, I mean actual rings.

As in wedding rings.

Husband and I are not the best when it comes to these things.

I bought him two different bands for each of our wedding ceremonies. I have not seen either one since those special days.

Before you ratchet your eyebrows out of concern, I promise you there is no one more married than Husband. I don’t doubt his faithfulness for a second. In a world where there are choices, he chooses not to wear any kind of jewelry, not even a watch.

I have my own ring issues. I knew exactly the kind of rings I wanted: an infinity band for my engagement ring with a smaller band with smaller teeny diamonds for my wedding ring.

Oh, that engagement ring! It was absolutely perfect. Perfect until I lost it early in our first year of marriage.

I was some place that felt unsafe, so I took it off and put it in my pocket.

When I later went to retrieve it, I reached in my pocket and the ring was gone. I retraced my steps a hundred times, but never saw it again.

This has left me with my slim wedding band to wear the last 10 years. I’ve always loved an understated ring. To me it says, “I have nothing to prove or show off.”

As much as I love this ring, for some reason, I don’t like sleeping in it. I take it off each night and leave it in a safe corner of the bathroom counter.

This is how I discovered the explainable two nights ago. My precious wedding ring is suddenly bent out of shape. It’s like someone squished two sides together and it is now like a fat oval.

I don’t recall doing anything unusual in the last few days that would’ve messed up the ring. It certainly has been through worse the last 10-plus years.

As I showed it to Husband, we both stared at the misshapen ring with great concern. This one thin band of metal and tiny diamonds carries all the weight for our entire marriage.

“You’re not asking for an almond?” he asked half joking. That gave us a good laugh thinking of the moment early in our marriage where one of our daughters overheard a disagreement.

She explained the new word she had learned at school. “An almond. You know, when two people don’t get along?”

We assured her we were not getting an annulment or an almond.

So, what do we do now, Dear Reader?

Our marriage is good.

The ring situation is struggling. Where do you stand on the whole wedding ring thing? Do you wear one? Do you care if your partner does?

How about swapping out mid-marriage?

The ring, not the Husband. My ringless man is a keeper. But it might be time for the fat, goose-egg ring and I to wish each other well and go our separate ways.