Today, I read about a man who left his car unlocked at a train station and upon returning, found a box containing a diamond ring and a note.
The band was a spectacular one set with a large diamond and two smaller diamonds and each diamond was surrounded by a circle of smaller diamonds.
It was not so much the authenticity of the ring or its stature that awed me; it was the sentimentally helpless note left behind by the owner of the ring that left an indelible impression upon me.
"Merry Christmas. Thank you for leaving your car door unlocked. Instead of stealing your car, I gave you a present. Hopefully this will land in the hand of someone you love, for my love is gone now. Merry Christmas to you."
The man who could have lost his car as a result of his carelessness actually gained and the man who lost his love had given away what could have been a symbol of passion and eternal commitment.
Such are the ironies of life. He who has much will have more and he who has little, even the little that he has will be taken away, or given away.
It is not good to have loved and lost. It is better to not have loved at all, if the end of a beautiful beginning finds resolution in endless sorrows and tearful farewells. And the rest is silence and emptiness. No one should dwell in the vicious comfort of having once possessed that which is now lost.
The devastation of losing someone dear and the pain after being wounded by the object of our desire are akin to having a thousand daggers digging at and tearing out the flesh. The sufferer must rid himself of the thorn in his flesh, or else face death in his emotional wasteland.
Perhaps for the man, his morphine lies in giving away the only remembrance of the relationship he once shared or hoped to share with the woman he loved. Since the woman has now gone away, the ring will only bring back the memories that ought to be forgotten. But the absence of the symbol of pain does not mean the obliteration of suffering or the end of passionate longings. Time does not bring healing on its wings because Time too is hurt. Only the lover can mend his own rended heart and bring cathartic healing unto himself. Maybe it comes with letting go.
I see the blithe abandon in leaving behind one's token of love in another's car as a charitable act of spreading glad tidings and sowing the seeds of new love along the journey of life. It comes with the silent utterance of prayers from one who suffers the throes of passion: 'With this ring and the powers that be, may you find true love this Christmas. That will bring me joy and comfort.'
Even one broken heart and one more forlorn lover like the man who left behind his ring walking the streets this Christmas is one too many. With this entry, I send his love and prayers out to all who have loved and lost and all those who are seeking true love.
'Merry Christmas. Hopefully this will land you in the hands of someone you love. For my love too will come.'
After lo(o)sing the ring, the forlorn lover might have come full circle.
