A funny thing happened this week. I was at work – actually at work, which is another story – and as I prepared to host a virtual leadership meeting, I absentmindedly went to twist my wedding ring around my ring finger and being surprised it wasn’t there. 

That would be a wedding ring I haven’t worn in 17 years – more years, in fact, than I actually wore it for. So what was that about?

I remember when I first took off my ring being surprised at the dent in my finger. I was expecting the band of white skin that hadn’t seen the sun in 15 years, but the dent was a surprise. Slowly the skin tanned and the dent disappeared, but for many months, I’d find myself rubbing my thumb over the area where the ring was, and remembering each time that something was missing.

I’m the lucky owner of a beautiful sapphire ring that belonged to my great grandmother. Her hands were much smaller than mine and the stone that is surrounded by tiny diamonds only fits on my baby finger. It’s a little old fashioned, but I really like it, and in the “before days” when I wore jackets, skirts and high heels to work, I wore it often.

A few years ago I bought myself a much more modern spinner ring that I wear on my middle finger a lot these days. With a wide silver band, it has narrow three bronze spinners – one for each kid – I play with them, moving them around and around when I need something to keep my hands busy. Those spinners make a delicate ringing sound when I type, and I tell myself it’s my way of keeping my children, who are geographically dispersed, close to me.

After a moment of confusion this morning, I shook it off and went on to host my meeting, which went well. And I didn’t think about it again until that evening. A quick Google search told me that twisting a ring is a sign of discomfort or nervousness. Which was possible, because I was prepping to lead that meeting. The next Google entry suggested that the wearer is free and enjoying life. Which was possible because despite COVID, things are pretty good these days. And a third said it was clear I was bored. That one didn’t make any sense. In any event, the search was basically the search useless.

I’ve decided to ignore any attempt to understand the symbolism. Perhaps all it meant was that I’m due for a shopping trip to treat myself to a new ring. Time to dust off the credit card!