Mood Rings

Ever played with Mood Rings???

They were all the rage in my junior high school.

I always had a little problem with these charming little faux jewels.

Mine always turned blue.

Blue meant you were "in love" woo-ooo. Being overweight, and tremendously unpopular, not to mention a total nerd, orchestra geek and uncool only exacerbated the problem. (Truth be told... I did have a little crush on this guy in my junior high school. His name was Jesse, but no one knew, I think. He was super cute, smart, and funny. Suffice to say that as pretty as he was should have clued me in to something I was completely unaware of in junior high school...)

The general idea behind the mood ring is that there is this strip of some magic something that registers changes in body temperature based upon your moods. Different colors, different feelings, because we all know that when your moods change, your temperature does too. (By the way, this has never been scientifically proven - although it does make a little sense.)

I am normally a warm blooded person. Shoveling snow, no mittens, in 0 degree weather, for 30 minutes still registered my hands warm. My house is always colder that 70 degrees because I get hot too fast. My good friends know that if they are cold, odds are good sitting next to me (or falling asleep on me....) they will warm right up. Its probably a big part of why I put babies to sleep. I'm warm and soft. None the less, my internal temperature is always below 98 degrees (for reasons I cannot begin to fathom).

I digress...

I guess my ring should have turned blue this month, and I didn't even realize it.

My husband admitted defeat. He asked me what I wanted for an anniversary present. I told him he should know me by now. We have been together for 5 and a half years, right??? He reminded me that boys are stupid when it comes to stuff like this, and he needed help. So I created a list for him. (Have you girls ever done this???? Made a list of "approved gifts" for your husband/fiance/boyfriend to purchase for you?) The funny thing was I could think of THINGS I wanted for presents, but none of them were things I wanted him to get for me. Why is that? I need a new piano bench. I even know which one I want, but for some reason, it is not good enough for him to get it for me. Then I realized what I did want from him. I wanted him to put some thought into a gift for me. I wanted him to spend some time and effort on me, rather than buy me something with a huge pricetag (although flowers and jewelry are always fabulous).

I received word that my masseuse at work was no longer coming to my work. This devastated me. My back, neck and shoulders are screaming for attention. It's been a stressful month. SO - the love of my life offers to get me a massage at Center Stage for our anniversary. I should have taken him up on it, but at that time I didn't know when I could find an hour to go. It wasn't until much later that I realized he does stuff like that all the time, and I don't pay any attention to it. He may not make the huge gestures, but the little things are always there, and he is always supporting me.

Why do we do this??? Not realize what we have until well after the fact. I don't know...

I've been thinking a lot about time lately. I am reminded of those commercials for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints where they say, "isn't it about time?" Then I realize that time is a relative term mortals use to define their mortality. I watched the movie "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" the other day, and was reminded that if we don't pay attention, we are going to miss things, and that some people don't get these experiences at all.

I don't want to miss things. But sometimes I do. Putting on a mood ring in the morning after a night spent on your dresser will take the color a few minutes to change. You forget your wearing it, and the colors change. Every so often you look down and see, and surprise yourself. Sometimes it is blue. Sometimes it is green. Sometimes it is amber (great color by the way). Kids do this too. You blink and they grow, and change. You might miss it.

People change too. Attitudes, perspectives. The world is full of change, and all of it is fleeting. Some of it is an illusion, and some is more permanent. I've been letting time get away from me lately. The colors are changing, the kids are growing, and I am missing it.

If only it were so easy as looking down and seeing a ring to know that you should pay attention. If only a ring could tell you what you are feeling. If only we could see into our own hearts, and the love we feel there for the ones we love.

And now I am glad that silly ring is still blue.

What color would your ring be???

Dark blue: Happy, romantic or passionate

Blue: Calm or relaxed

Blue-green: Somewhat relaxed

Green: Normal or average

Amber: A little nervous or anxious

Gray: Very nervous or anxious

Black: Stressed, tense or feeling harried