Question of the Day #301

I'm getting ready to move. And I have tons of stuff. So I'm looking at the whole thing as a purge. I'm selling and donating just about everything I don't use on a daily basis.

So yesterday, as I sorted through my clothes, removing anything donatable, I found a top I thought I might like to keep. When I tried it on, I noticed something was missing.

The ball that holds my belly ring in place had disappeared. In 15 years, that ring has sat securely in place and yesterday, while I scrambling to pack a huge house into two boxes, it somehow fell off.

I searched the shower and my bed. I got on all fours and scanned the floors. After a while I realized I needed professional help. I had no idea where to go. And I was completely annoyed.

I got my belly pierced when I was 22 years old. At a place on Melrose Ave in Hollywood, where all things cool happened. But the shop couldn't still be there, could it?

I didn't even remember where it was on Melrose. But after some googling, I found a tattoo and piercing shop in the same area, grabbed my shopping list of ingredients for tonight's Spaghetti and Meatballs Night, packing tape, banker boxes and bubble wrap and drove down there, one finger on my navel, holding the horseshoe in place.

The only guy in the shop was a tattoo artist, who admitted to having no idea about piercings. My hope sank. We tried to screw on a new ball, but I don't think it was the right size, plus my unsteady hands got nowhere. He asked if I could come back after 2:00 when his boss would be in, but I needed to have packed 10 boxes by 2:00.

I told him I was in the middle of moving and he must have seen the defeat on my face, because he called his boss, who showed up two minutes later.

The boss looked at my impaired jewelry, found a new silver ball, and screwed it onto my belly ring - professionally, with tools. Not shaky hands. Then he told me the whole thing was free of charge.

I was sooo relieved I could have hugged the guy. This may sound like a minor thing to someone else. I mean, I could have taken the ring out. And I considered that, and asked myself if losing the piece was a sign to let go of that too, but the piercing isn't just a pair of jeans I haven't worn in a year or a lamp I might not ever use again.

As silly as it may sound, it's a part of me.

So I'm very thankful that in the middle of a crazy time, those two guys made an upsetting loss disappear. And did they did it out of kindness.

So I have two questions today. Feel free to answer either or both:

1. What piece of your life are you not ready to part with yet?

2. What kind thing has someone done for you lately?

xoxo,
Suzanne