claddagh rings & open hearts

And every day, whether I am content and not so content in my singleness, my Claddagh sits on my right hand, heart facing outward.

It might seem weird to wear a physical reminder of your relationship status when it's the opposite of what you want it to be. When my last relationship ended almost five years ago, when I had to put the ring on facing outward instead of inward, I briefly considered not even putting it on. It's possible there were even a few days I did just that.

But more than a reminder of my singleness, the ring I put on my finger each day is a reminder, even in my single, sometimes bitter and frustrated and cynical state, to keep my heart open.

SinglenessSarah Anne HayesJune 9, 20172017, June 2017

some thoughts on singleness

For most of my life, I have been single. 97.18% of it, if you want the hard numbers.

I dated one guy at the tail end of college for about a month. He's the first guy I kissed, but we never made it official. After college, I had one boyfriend and we were together for about 8 1/2 months from first date to break up. So of the 28 years I've spent on this earth, less than one has had me romantically attached to another person.

I'm not going to sugarcoat it: that fact is really hard for me to deal with sometimes.

SinglenessSarah Anne HayesFebruary 3, 20172017, February 2017