Oh, that navel ring.
A little history on this piece of jewelry. And, of course, a little history on me.
In the Fall of 1996, I was in the process of my very first heart break. Not even with a boyfriend! A mere prom date. But I was unexperienced, a late bloomer, if you will. I had only experienced crushes from afar and had only one boyfriend for three weeks! So no, I had never had a real boyfriend :p Anyway, there was a perfect storm brewing. It was my first year in college, I just experienced my heart being crushed and I was 17-going-on-18. Oh dear lor', I have to toot my own horn for a second and just commend my younger self for not getting into heaps of trouble. Although, if I could do it all over again or somehow mentor my young self, I would encourage her to get into a wee bit of trouble and live a little. Because you're only 18 once ;)
I will also point out that in 1996, this was a good TWO years before the Britneys and Christinas. So, YAH, I had a belly button ring when it was still cool and an emerging trend. (I will not go so far as to say I was a trend setter because I was cautious enough to make sure I knew a few people who had them and didn't die of gangrene. Or ended up with some crazy growth.) But they certainly weren't as common as they are now when just about every 16 year old seems to get one as a rite of passage.
It's been a very long time so I can't recall every detail. I do know, however, that within two weeks of my 18th birthday, I wanted a navel ring. Here's the thing. I wanted something. I really wanted a tattoo but there was no design that I was passionate enough about to have on my body forever. I had already chopped off a foot of my hair earlier that fall (because of the heart ache) but I wanted to do something drastic. So I did. Remember, it wasn't as common as it it now!
I'm sure I asked someone to go with me but I don't remember if it was my boyfriend at the time (kind of a rebound situation because, remember, I was still getting over being heart broken) or a friend. I do remember, though, that it was some place in my hometown.
Big mistake, kids. Go to reputable cities that have lots of young adult angst residing or going to school there! Like Berkeley or San Francisco. *Sigh* Anyway, I'm sure it was also because they didn't tell me how to take care of it properly but it ended up getting infected. Nothing gross but it was so tender that I got fed up and took it out myself. Not sure how long I had the belly button ring but it was long enough for me to know that jeans were my enemy and to leave a small dark scar.
Well, a little over a year later, I have another break up, this time with a real boyfriend. And a result of me not treating my rebound boyfriend very nicely. So I went through the tragic feelings all over again, this time feeling like an a-hole on top of an aching heart because I definitely had been a contributing factor to the break up. And the only good thing that comes from my breaks up is that I lose weight. While I've never had a defined stomach, it was flat again because of the most recent break up. So I decide that with my sorority lil sis, I was going to try again. This time at a place in Berkeley that had been recommended by others.
I even remember the name. Zebra. How could you forget a huge plastic Zebra suspended above the entrance?
Yes, this place probably was probably playing Alanis Morisette or Offspring or Green Day. Something deliciously 90s. It was the kind of place that did all types of piercings, tattoos, and sold tobacco (sure, tobacco) paraphernalia. The kind in which all the employees wore black, girls and boys alike wore blue or black nail polish and just about everyone was outfitted in combat boots. Can I just mention that I MISS these kind of places? I'm far from a yuppie, because I tend to think of yuppies as preppy individuals with money. But my one-baby-two-pups butt probably wouldn't be welcomed into places like this anymore. I smack too much of wholesomeness.
I remember being in a dentist-like chair and the hip young adult, probably not even five years older than my 18 year old self, told me to pick out a soda from the portable fridge in the corner. She (or was it a he? it's been such a long time) instructed me to put it over my navel to kind of numb the area. Then she told me to remove it so she can sterilize the area. I couldn't even look at the needle, I just know my friend's eyes got real big when she saw it. I closed my eyes and gripped her hand. The woman said, "On the count of three. One, two," and stab. She then said something to the effect of, "It's better if you don't know it's coming. After I put the ring in, put the soda can on top to help prevent swelling."
As I recall this experience, I'm thinking of how dumb it was to entrust my body to someone not that much older who may or may not have had a lot knowledge on piercing. But you know what? This time (unlike employee of hole-in-the-wall in my hometown that has since closed) it seemed like she really knew what she was doing. She instructed me on how to take care of it, telling me to buy Epson Salt and soak my belly button every day to ensure it healed properly and didn't get infected. Sure enough, it healed beautifully. And I went through my rite of passage.
My weight has greatly fluxuated since then. Yet through the ups and downs, I kept it in. I liked it! Even if no one else saw it. And no one else really did since I was self conscious of my stomach. Even when it was flat, it wasn't toned so I wasn't into half shirts or anything. The only time my navel ring made a public appearance was when I was at the beach.
Well, I took out my navel ring when I was in my second trimester for obvious reasons. And I hadn't seriously thought about putting it back in. Until this morning. I figured that the hole hadn't closed since I had been wearing a navel ring for 12 years.The primary reason why my navel ring saw the light of day again is because I'm a little over two pounds to my prebaby weight. And about 10 pounds away from goal weight. (I'm 15 pounds away from when I originally got the piercing but I don't think of that as my true weight since I only see that number when I'm going through a break up or highly stressed.)
I decided today was going to be the day I would put it back on. And boy did it bring a flood of memories! Obviously. I mean, I'm writing this, aren't I? Call it a near mid-life crisis. This little piece of jewelry reminds me of my younger days. It reminds me of college and the young me who was so insecure and yet trying to politely rebel;) It reminds me of how conservative I was and that it was my way of being a little bad. I had no idea I missed it. And maybe I didn't. But it sure is fun having it back.
I just don't know what I'm going to tell The Bun when she gets around to asking about it. Because I sure as hell don't want her to think she needs to get one at any tender age before 21!
