Is This You? Earrings in excess: Is it a bad thing?

I’ve had my ears pierced twice in my lifetime. Not twice as in four holes, but two separate times because several years after the first experience — which involved ice cubes, a big, no, a huge needle, and half a potato in my mom’s kitchen — the holes grew closed due to lack of wearing earrings. The second time I had it done at a regular first-class ear piercing place — a kiosk in a mall! A friend of mine decided she wanted hers done and she didn’t want to go up to the piercer alone, so the two of us went all because she wanted to start wearing earrings. But again, due to lack of bejeweling my ears I now find myself with one hole grown closed and the other about half-closed. I can get a wire to start to go through the right ear lobe, but it won’t come out the back side. Weird, huh? So of what consequence is this revelation about ear jewelry and holes ... or lack thereof? Well, again, here’s the story ...

Is it just me, or are earrings getting bigger? Not more of them. But physically bigger. I saw a woman on television a few days ago wearing hoop earrings you could have thrown a football through. Yes, a football! Not just plain golden hoops, these were bedazzled with three rows of shimmering, light-catching faceted glass pieces that added so much weight the holes in her ears were stretched enough I could almost see the guy standing behind her through the weight-caused elongated holes. I found the hoops to be a tad bit excessive. But that’s just me. Or is it?

I remember the first time I saw a girl with more than one earring in her ears. No, wait, they weren’t earrings. They were safety pins. I was young. Like 11. I was put on a flight to go visit a relative who was going to make some school clothes for me, and, well, that’s a whole other story. But on that airplane a girl in her late teens, much more worldly than this bumpkin, sat next to me and in each of her ears she wore at least a dozen safety pins. From tiny ones up high on her ears to these big baby diaper sized ones on her lobes. I must have been impressed because that was a long, long time ago. I was too timid at that time to ask her about them, but I wish I would have. I’m sure there was quite a story there! So see, the excessive bedazzling you wear can really have an effect on how you’re not only perceived but remembered, too.

I’m not against excess. I feel there’s no such thing as too much ice cream or sunshine or sleep or vacations. I only bring this up because occasionally, man or woman, we need to take inventory of our inventories. I mean, I really like to see a nice hat on a cowboy, not too big or too small. Or a little sparkle stuff in eyeshadow and I’m not above overindulging my family and friends with too many tacos when they come to dinner. Yum! But back to those safety pins. They were a bit much for my comfort zone.

While I’m at it, let me comment on tattoos. Ready? Well, here it comes ... no comment! What? Me? No comment? Yep. Well, except to say a teeny tiny island with a sandy beach and a palm tree tastefully applied on the outside of an ankle might be kind of cute. Let’s needle along.

I’m going to guess we can all point to someone that has exceeded the limit of something. But don’t forget, when we do that pointing we point that finger toward ourselves, too, as I have. Yes, I have way too many socks and unused earrings, just to name two of my excesses. Let’s not talk of the excess that an excess of ice cream might excessively cause!

To deal with the earrings, though, I’ve decided since I’m going to be in the Biggest Little City in the World in a week or so, I’m going to try to find a kiosk that will make my head into a two-holer again by getting that one ear re-drilled. Yeouch! Hey, a little bling isn’t necessarily a bad thing, is it?

Trina lives in Eureka, Nevada. Share with her at itybytrina@yahoo.com. Really!