Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Divorcing an Idea

I wear a ring on my left hand.
I'm not married.
I'm not engaged.
Not as Naughty as it First appeared -
Photo Credit: Kelsey Keating

It's my purity ring, and I've had it since I was 13.  The way I saw it, my purity ring was a place holder - a way of saying I was waiting for the one who would replace that ring when I reached the right age.

It has become a part of me.

Lately, as I've reached the age of 24 (almost), most people see my ring and assume it means I'm married.  Rightly so, as that is what it looks like at first glance.  People close to me have taken to telling me that THIS is the reason why no guy has asked me out, hit on me, flirted with me etc.

Recently I've considered switching my ring to my right hand to better show off that I am "available".

But here's my problem...
  • I LIKE it on my left hand.  It's comfortable. It belongs there.  It feels weird on my right hand.
  • Having a ring on my left hand keeps me from being hit on by creepy guys or jerks.
  • A ring on my left hand means someone has to get to know MORE than just my name to find out I'm single.  They actually have to make an effort to have a conversation with me as a human being and NOT as a prospect (I don't know why, but being seen as a prospect really irks me).

I've been married to this idea - to the idea that I can wear my purity ring HOW I want to wear it WHERE I want to wear it.
Yet everyone around me is asking me to divorce it.  They're asking me to divorce this silly notion that a guy would want to talk to me just to talk to another person. No man will bother to even ask my name if he sees I'm wearing a ring.
Isn't it Pretty?
Photo Credit: Kelsey Keating

Now, I like that a guy won't hit on a married woman - that's a very good thing - but each and every one of my coworkers and friends knows I'm single.

Why?

Because they know me.  They talk to me.  

So now I wonder...do I divorce the idea of people caring about more than just my looks enough to have a conversation?  Or do I play stubborn, stick to my guns, and remain married to the hope that a guy who knows me will be the one to make a move? Come on, Brant*!

I can't decide, so feel free to sound in. 

*Brant - Semi-generic name for whoever "the one" is.