With this ring...

I wear a ring that bears the number 2.

I have been intrigued by people's reactions to this relatively simple piece of jewelry that I bought on the streets of Harajuku roughly two years ago...

Strangers have without restraint asked me what the number 2 means to me. Lovers have thought it a subtle message to them (cue Carole King: you're so vain...). Acquaintances have interpreted it as anything from my lucky number, to the day I put down the drink, to my statement on marriage, to my expression of a deep spiritual belief. Intimate friends have seen it as just another one of my things that is so arbitrary, it can actually pass as thoughtful.

People are so curious. They want to know everything, with the caveat that whatever they learn fits with their preconceived notions and personal intentions. Dig a bit deeper into their psyches and it's plain as day that...

Strangers have no reservations throwing social graces out the window in order to make small talk with a harmless-looking woman. Lovers want desperately to believe that I don't in fact prefer sometimes to be alone (as 1) than to be with them (as 2). Acquaintances want to get in my head or at least borrow from an already tired fashion trend and claim it anew. Intimate friends fake believe that it's just an arbitrary number, but know all too well that I'm not going to wear something all the time if it doesn't mean something to me. So, they take their silent votes on what or who that something could be and whether or not that something weighs on my heavy brow.

Fact is, I despise attention (it makes my insides churn in discomfort) so I shouldn't wear such a blatant conversation starter to begin with. Fact is, the number 2 means something to me. And as with all things honest and true inside of me, I can't help but wear it on my skin, radiating in naked vulnerability for all to experience as they wish.

This ring serves as a constant reminder to me of 2 very important lessons. These days, as I gaze out at my hand extended in Warrior 2; as I rake my fingers through the Floridian sand; and as I reach to hold the hand of a stranger with complete ease and comfort...

The number 2 reminds me
that life is better when shared
and that second chances are real.