heart-shaped memories

i ended up with my nose in my old jewelry box this morning looking for a broach for my sweater (great, now i sound like an old lady!) and i came upon a ring that i haven't worn in a while. i put it on and made my way to work, every once in a while looking down at it and remembering its meaning from the past. i got the ring from a boyfriend as a valentine's day gift two weeks after we started dating. did i mention it's a diamond ring? it's a pretty heart-shaped thing and the heart to me, is a symbol of who i am. i am a very passionate person, falling in love with people, ideas and various aspects of the world each and every day. but when i got this ring, i didn't know much about myself. i was 15 and half-way through my sophomore year in high school. my boyfriend had broken into my locker and placed a box of chocolates inside that i would find when i arrived at school. well, i found it alright! except my less extrovertive, very shy high school self couldn't stand the attention that the event brought as my fellow classmates watched to see me not only open my locker, but see the confusion and surprise on my face when i found the chocolates. i managed to avoid opening the bloated box of chocolates until the last period of the day. a friend finally convinced me to go and get the box and bring them to our study hall. i did. however, when i opened the seemingly over-stuffed box, i realized that it had been tampered with. under the top layer of chocolates, was a little felt box. i opened the box and found the ring.

seeing the ring now reminds me of how much i've changed and how much has happened since i opened my locker that day.