Monday, July 25, 2011

it didn't survive the cut


Not that you care.
About my toes.
Or how I decorate them.
But you're gonna hear about it anyway.

Today is a desperately sad day for me.
Well, maybe only 2/3rds sad.

Since the age of 12, my family had vacationed for 2 weeks, every July, every year (2005 was our last year) in the same basic spot, in a rented beach house (with direct beach access - meaning:  you step out the back door and onto beach sand) in Salisbury, MA.

Conveniently, one of the best boardwalks in New England existed only a short (or long, depending on traffic) 5 minute drive across the border into New Hampshire.  Hampton Beach, to be exact.


At age 18, I discovered a new little shop where they provided fitted toe rings.  That's right, fitted.  You'd pick out your toe ring of choice and then they'd use soapy water to squeeze the gorgeous-little thing onto one of your cute little toes.  After a few moments of squinting your eyes through the mildly uncomfortable procedure, you were adorned with a toe ring completely customized to the exact size of your toe.  Making it completely comfortable.  Don't you just HATE how the ones from Walmart pinch the back of your toe when in a shoe...or walking, for that matter?!  I couldn't even feel it when I wore my figure skates - which, by the way, were ROCK solid and FORMED to my feet.  (I was a former competitive figure skater for 9 years...but that's another story.)

Over the years, I accumulated 4 of those toe rings, one at a time.  I've only taken them off {with difficulty} a few times in my life.  Mostly, to switch them around from toe to toe, or to stack them so they look like one thick toe ring.  The other time was when I was preggers with Annaleigh.  My toes began to swell up.  Although, the rings remained comfortable, I knew that if, God forbid, I'd need a c-section (which most of us know I did) they'd cut them off prior to surgery.  And {gasp} what horror that would be!  The cutting of the toe rings, that is.

Being preggers with #2, my toes are swelling up again.  So, to again avoid such possible horror, I attempted to lube them up and yank them off.  With difficulty...and more difficulty...and pulling, tugging, begging, pleading, waiting until the morning to see if they'd come off, running my toes under iced cold water...more lube, more difficulty and then?  Realizing that I must do the unthinkable.  The unimaginable.  The horror!!  {cue: a girl screaming in the background...wait, that's me...}

They need to be cut.  off.

Why do it?  You ask?  Why not just keep them on since you may not need a c-section this time?  Because, if I do (and we know that it's a high possibility) then I want to control the when, the where.  These are small treasures of memories here, people!  I'm not going to lend their fate to some stranger!  And honestly, if I can't get them off now...will I ever?  And if my feet continue to grow in water-size, that just may be bad news for my toe.  And I think I prefer the cutting of a ring rather than the cutting of my toe.  Just a thought.

GOOD NEWS, though!  I did manage to save ONE of the toe rings.  It was just large enough to squeeze off.  wahoo!  Meaning?  That bad boy is headed right back on after John David makes his debut!  It also means that I can currently feel my heartbeat in my toe....

Plus, it's a good excuse to head on back to one of my favorite beaches, someday, to see if the little shop still exists.  And get MORE!  If not, then for the fried dough, french fries, soft-serve ice cream, photo-booths, skee-ball, arcade games, shopping for shell-covered vases, sand, sun, ocean breeze.....because, really....

"Any reason is a good reason to go to the beach." 
(quoted from yours truly, a natural born beach-bum)

before
after
My poor toe feels so naked now....

4 comments:

  1. aww it's the little things that matter sometimes. especially when pregnancy hormones are raging. . .

    ReplyDelete
  2. You ARE my mini-me. Ice Dancer - 6 years. How crazy is that?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Shut-up Linda! I had NO idea! Wow! We'll have LOTS to talk about on Wednesday (forget about all the SWF topics! LOL!)!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Just came across this post. Yes the fitted-toe-ring booth is still there. We only started going last summer, but it's like an addiction. Love those toe rings. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete

Love is to the heart what the summer is to the farmer's year - it brings to harvest all the loveliest flowers of the soul. -Unknown