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| " The Earring Chase" or "How Not to Pierce Your Ears" |
I was a teenager and it was the sixties. The time of peace, protests, free love, long
hair, and jewelry. The Gypsy blood was surging through my veins, and I needed my
ears pierced.
During the sixties, there were only two ways of ear piercing available. You could
have it done by your doctor as a surgical procedure requiring the permission of
your parents. Or, you could do it yourself. The doctor would anesthetize your ear
lobes, pierce them with a hypodermic needle, put in your new earrings, and send
you home. Sanitary, safe and probably a good way to go for someone who faints
from a stubbed toe.
I couldn't convince my mother to sign without first discussing it with my father.
"You want to what?", my father shouted when I asked for his signature. "If you want
to mark yourself for life, there's a rusty ice pick outside you can use."
He just didn't understand my need for having my ears pierced. Guess the idea of
the doctor was out. On to plan two.
Somehow the idea of freezing my ear lobes with ice and poking a hole through
them sent shivers over more than just my earlobes. But the jewelry was great, and
the Gypsy in me was calling ever louder and stronger.
When I finally found myself alone, I gathered the ice, potato, and needle. Then the
alcohol and a cigarette lighter for sterilization. Sitting at the table, I began the
procedure. Meticulously I heated the needle with the lighter and then soaked it in
alcohol, just to be sure. Only after holding the ice for a few minutes did I discover
that it's quite difficult to numb the ear without also freezing the hands. First one
hand got cold and then the other. The ear finally turned red, and I reasoned that it
must surely be numb. Removing the ice, I firmly grasped the needle and tried to
push it through the ear lobe. As the tears rolled down my cheeks, I began to
realize that this would be more difficult than planned. And then, there was the
blood. Not much, but it was a bright red. And it was mine. No matter what I tried
those ear lobes would not surrender to any of my methods. Ice. Needles. Potato
behind the ear. Nothing seemed to work. Undaunted I knew there must be
something strong enough to pierce them. And then I remembered the little screw
type earrings I had been forced to wear. Hmm? If I could freeze my ear and then put
them on, I would surely be able to turn the screw tight enough to pierce my ears. It
might have worked if the ear lobes had ever reached the stage of painlessness.
No matter what I tried, nothing worked. With each failure the Gypsy in me called
"Don't give up. There is a way." That voice, coupled with my tenacity, propelled me
forward in my quest.
Looking for the answer, I continually returned to the one place where my dreams
hung shining on racks. Elusive, but not impossible to obtain. One day, while
browsing the jewelry store, sighing over the earrings, I discovered the solution to
my problem. "Self-piercing" earrings. Small, gold hoops, with one end sharpened
like a needle, and the other forming a circle. The instructions read simply: "Place
on ear lobes with the sharp end on the front of the ear. Wear for approximately two
weeks. In that time your ears will be painlessly pierced." It sounded so simple to
me, how could I resist? I hurried home with my 'last chance earrings' and quickly
placed them on my ears.
Over the course of the next week and with a little help from an impatient, emerging
Gypsy, it happened. My ears were finally pierced. Only then did I realize that in my
haste, I had forgotten one small detail. Once pierced, the small hoops had to
remain in my ears for six weeks, allowing time for the hole in the earlobe to heal.
But, at last my ears were pierced and soon I would be able to wear the earrings for
which my heart yearned.
With patience and determination I made it through the ordeal. Only when I was
eighteen did my Dad realize that my ears were pierced. Marked for life. But by then,
it was a little late to do anything about it.
Thru the eyes of a child I can see "When I grow up I want to be..." Thru the eyes of a teenager I can see "Someone longing and waiting to leave" Thru the eyes of a bride I can see "A love that should last through eternity" Thru the eyes of a mother I can see "Beautiful children who will grow up to be..." Thru the eyes of a friend I can see "The special few who stand by me..." Thru the eyes of a patient I can see "Pain disguised as a chronic disease" Thru the eyes of a parent I can see "My children grown up, independent and free" Thru the eyes of a mother-in-law I can see "Sons getting married happy and pleased" Thru the eyes of a grandparent I can see "Beautiful babies who look 'Just Like Me" Thru the eyes of an elder I can see "The places I've been, and now long to be..." Thru the eyes of my life I can see "Changing points of reference, that change with me..." |
