Lost At Sea

For the past week we have enjoyed some awesome Florida weather, and some quality time with my parents.  Hubby and I took one of our grandgirls with us for this visit and it definitely was one of the best vacations I've had in a few years.  I didn't keep a calendar...make a "to-do list"...nor did I bring a work laptop with me and log in remotely to the office.  Of course, I did bring some jewelry-making supplies with me, but that's just not "work", if you know what I mean.  Yes, I made some jewelry pieces, but I actually laid on a float in the pool and read two and a half books on my Kindle.  And I have a great tan!

Since yesterday was our last full day in Paradise, we decided to take a trip to Bathtub Beach to enjoy the ocean and collect some shells.  It was a hazy day, so the sun was not scorching us.  I walked along the sandy edge and the waves were pretty strong compared to other trips to that beach.  While I was looking for shells, I noticed that my toe ring felt somewhat loose and I had to keep adjusting it.  This was my very first sterling toe ring I had made earlier this month...which I posted about in my last blog entitled "Happy Feet." 

I stopped shell-hunting and decided that I might want to join my hubby and granddaughter, Lucy.  They were swimming and having a great time trying to body surf on the bigger waves.  It looked like so much fun...but something that I need to convince myself to do since I think I might be a bit too old for this type of activity. As I stood in ankle-deep water with waves coming in and going out at a rapid pace, I noticed my toe ring had moved to the top of my toe.  I bent down to take it off and had my fingers on it at the same moment a wave hit me, and I lost my balance.  You guessed it...I didn't actually have a good enough hold and it slipped right into the ocean.  It was gone...it all happened so fast.

As I stood there trying not to be upset, Lucy came over to me.  I asked her if she would use her goggles to see if she could find it.  She was more than happy to help recover my lost toe ring.  Little did I know right before that happened, my hubby had a similar experience with his college ring that he has worn for the past 40 years.  He's lost so much weight, his ring slips off easily. While he was swimming in the ocean, it fell off his finger. He quickly used Lucy's goggles to find it again, which truly amazes me!  How much more meaningful was his college ring compared to my first-ever sterling silver hammered toe ring? I was SO happy for him!

Lucy said, "Don't worry, Mimi, we can get you another toe ring."  When I told her that I had made it, she said she thought I could make another one.  So I sat on my towel on the beach and tried to design a new toe ring in my mind that I would like better.  I was sad but only for a brief moment...there are so many things in life that aren't replaceable and I just couldn't allow myself to dwell on something as simple as a lost toe ring. We even joked about the fish that would come and swallow it up, and then the fisherman who will catch and clean the fish only to discover a nice piece of silver in its belly!

Of course when I went back to my parent's house, I took out my silver wire and started bending and hammering.  It came out different than my mind had designed, but I just never know how any of my pieces will actually look until it's all done.  I put it on and showed Lucy.  She said, "Oh Mimi, that one is much better than your other one."  I just love that girl's heart!

Here is a picture of my new "Tootsie" ring:

Yes, one ring was "lost at sea", while the other, much more important and sentimental ring was "recovered" from the bottom of the ocean.  I still have "Happy Feet" and a very happy hubby!

Moving forward and enjoying the important things in life!
Carole