perfectly mismatched.

i am not wearing my engagement ring.

for the first (or possibly second, given my record of morning-related flakiness) time i can remember, i am willfully without my ring. and it's weird. in the short time i've had it, i've grown so accustomed to having it on my fourth finger, slightly loose, perfect for fidgeting with. and now it is off. and i feel slightly underdressed.

now, before anyone assumes the worst, the ring is not missing because the engagement is off (it's not), or because it's been lost (it hasn't), or because an allergic reaction has caused my fingers to swell to the size of cumberland sausages and it has been removed for safety reasons (not that i know of). i am without my ring because i am having done what i should have done ages ago, the first time it nearly slipped off my finger onto the subway tracks when i took off a glove: i'm having the damned thing resized. polished too, so it looks appropriate with its new partner-to-be: the perfect circle of my wedding band.

yep, achieving milestone #642 today, we picked up the rings from the local jeweler (the one that's been on the same spot since 1796). to say it seems (like so many other things surrounding this whole business of getting married) surreal would not be to put too fine a point on it.

the ring is a traditional symbol of marriage because it has no stopping point, like the relationship is supposed to, like the partners are supposed to once they make their vows: a circle neverending, ever flowing into the other. and i know this, and i understand the symbolism, but the point didn't really hit home until i saw them there in front of me, the mismatched but perfectly suited pair, gleaming brightly on the counter. these are the symbols of our devotion. these are tangible. this is real.

and the point of this post got lost somewhere along with the post it note that said: "set up meeting with caterers ASAP; book transporation to and from the church; finalize your flower order," so i'm just going to end this here.

and don't worry--the wedding is in eighteen days; i'll find other stuff to write about soon. promise.