The Piercing
This Wednesday is our daughter, Abbi’s, 10th birthday and for many years she has been mentally counting the days to that day because my wife and I set the age of 10 as the (arbitrary) “age of piercing” in our house. Yesterday, after the long wait, Abbi had her ears pierced.
The walk through the mall to the jewelry store was tense, but fun to be a part of. Abbi selected a set of post earrings and then nervously sat in the chair quietly answering the clerk’s questions with a blend of excitement and anticipation on her face. As the two clerks – one piercing each ear – began a verbal countdown to “the piercing”, Abbi closed her eyes, bit her lip, and powered through the brief pain to reveal a smile on the other side.
Typical of such events in life, Abbi admits the build up was worse than the act. Now, in 6-8 weeks she can begin to cycle through all the earrings she received for her birthday.