Lord of The Rings

On wedding day, it is traditional for a couple to exchange wedding rings after they say their vows. The rings are a symbol of the marriage and is the one most physically visible things to remind yourself and everyone else of your commitment, more so your status.

Certainly, the circle of a ring represents undying love and the continually renewed vows of the married couple. And as the newlyweds proudly wear their new rings and enjoying their new status in life, chances are neither have discussed anything else about it other than how gorgeous they may be and how happy they are to wear them.

But rings, even as small as they are, come with mechanics for the couple that they should formulate and agree upon. This is more for the obsessive-compulsive. But then again, it's something to think about.

I never wore a ring or any finger jewelry in my life and so I had to adjust to the fact that now, I wear a ring. But I remember having lots of trivial questions that may be petty, but since I deemed myself a newbie in wearing a ring, I had to ask my wife. Questions like, when do we take it off and when do we wear it along with several possible scenarios and variations came into play.
These are some questions you may ponder on.

Do you decide to wear it 24/7 ? Will you wear it anywhere and everywhere you go ? Does that include when washing your hands, taking a shower, going for a swim, handling non-hygenic items ? What to do when it causes pain ?
As for us, we don't wear our rings at home. We only wear our rings when when we go out. It also gives our ring finger a rest. I guess it's also the fact that we'd be using our hands more at home like when we clean the house, wash the dishes, or other chores where the rings may pose wear and tear or much worse get lost.

I personally also take the ring off whenever I wash my hands whether at home or in public. I can't seem to wash my hands thoroughly with the ring on, and I don't want the ring to get wet either, so I take it off and place it in my pocket while I wash my hands. I put it back immediately after drying my hands. So basically, my rule of thumb is that if my hands are going to get wet, I remove the ring for the time being.

One problem I had with wearing the ring for the 1st month was remembering to wear it before leaving the house. It's a new habit that needs to be formed and hopefully you'll get accustomed to it no matter how busy or in a rush you may be in. One technique I formed was to place the ring in a hook in front of my keys. Since I always bring my house keys when I leave the house, it makes remembering my ring a whole lot easier since it's blocking my keys.

One thing I also noticed about wearing a ring is that there are certain hand gestures that you need to modify to avoid getting injured. I'm not talking about punching someone in the face. I'm talking about applauding or shaking hands. I discovered the clapping part during one Sunday mass. When everybody applauded, I found it weird that my hands were hurting a bit while clapping. I realized it was the ring was like a sharp object poking at my skin every clap. I found out that the best and perhaps correct way to avoid this is to clap with hands perpendicular to each other as opposed to smacking your hands together in a mirror image. Another situation is when you shake hands. I'm right handed so I shake with my right hand. That didn't pose any problem since the wedding ring is on the left hand. However, for some strange reason, someone shook my left hand with a firm grip. I found my fingers squished and more importantly, the ring being pressed onto my other fingers. It felt like a construction roller compacting asphalt on a road ( ok, I dunno that actual feeling but it looks like it). I haven't found the proper way of shaking hands with a ring yet. I'm just hoping no one shakes my left hand that hard again.

Also try to protect your ring from anything that may cause it to wear and tear. It's also best to keep it in a safe container when not in use. You wouldn't want to lose your ring to a stupid cat or rat mistaking your ring for yummy cereal.
Remember, you are the Lord of your ring. As you vowed for a lifetime's worth of dedication to your partner, make the ring last too.