Don't Forget Your Emergency Quirks!

There's something - probably something small that nobody would notice - that you can't live without, something that you must do or put on, or have around for the world to be ok. For some people it's the morning coffee, for others the handcream in the purse, or the working radio in the car. Some must have clean underwear on all the time, and make sure they always do by keeping an extra pair in their bags or cars "just in case" (like in case they are not spending the night over at their place, but partying with friends, or in the case of ladies, for the unprobable event of an "accident"). One of the most common such dependence is the mobil phone, and so people get insane if they don't have their phone at hand, or their laptop, tablet, smarphone or so. I've known also cases of people who can't be without their car keys even when they are not driving it.

There are a lot of things we need to carry around constantly, and feel bad if we don't have around, in a sort of abandoned, lacking state. Thanks to bags (or "being bags the culprits") women tend to carry insane amounts of things around that are all "of life or death importance", and which basically "keep the civilized world as we know it". My friend Dragonfly once posted in her blog pictures of the content of her bag, and I believe I replied back then with similar pictures. The experiment was interesting because we all had the chance to take a peek at what's pulling down our shoulders everyday. May men know it or not, many women actually talk sometimes about what they carry in their bags. (So, no, it's not a seven-seal secret, it's none of your business!) From the mandatory make-up bag (which contents vary depending on what you consider more important. There was a time a friend of mine and I carried two make-up bags: one with make-up, creams, tweezers and such, and another full of medicaments. From your everyday Ibuprofen for menstrual pain or headache, to prescription drugs the doctors sent us to manage the effects of the stress we were being subjected to - and my mandatory asthma medicines and supplies - we had a little arsenal that bordered illegal), to your agenda, a book to read (or kindle!), journal, wallet, public transportation pass (if you live in a place where you need or you can have one), glasses, sunglasses... there's a world in there you carry because you either peruse it often, or "just in case", and in those cases, even if you don't use them, it feels good to be prepared.

A common case with women is carrying around tampons and panty liners, or sanitary pads. You may not expect your period to come that day, but simply having these items in your bag with you everyday makes you feel safe and ready to tackle any situation. Also, there's actually a very good feeling when you can help someone in need with part of your supplies. Be able to help out a friend or a colleague at work with a painkiller, or a tampon, or with the emergency candy or snack you've been carrying for a moment of desperate hunger away from any food source (such as at a meeting, an important seminar or while waiting for something. Also at the job, when something urgent comes up and you have no time for lunch or dinner). If you can afford it, a granola or a cereal bar, maybe a pack of oreos, and a juice or a small bottle of coca-cola can be the difference for your friends, your colleagues and you. And how hard it is to carry a granola bar or a small redbull shot in your purse, or a bottle or water? Specially when now everybody carries a bottle of water and drinking it at meetings have become perfectly natural.

Yes well, though I consider all of those very important, and usually carry them around, there's one thing I always have to have and always carry around and even keep "emergency" spares in my bag: earrings.

I've got my ears pierced when I was twelve. My friends helped me get my ears pierced, and it was a life changing experience in my life. I had all kinds of earrings and all sorts of ear problems, such as the usual piercing inflamations and allergic reactions, and had the chance to wear some of the trendy earrings of that time (you know, that not-expensive trend that usually takes off among the youth) and made my first handmade earrings our of paperclips. My parents weren't really about ear-piercing, but once I've got them done, they were really supportive and did the legwork back them (way before the internet days) to get me good earrings, so I've got my first silver earrings (one pair because my folks didn't have much money in those days) and later on a couple of dolphin shaped gold studs.

Later on I bought my own earrings - usually of lesser materials and even plastic - which got me a really bad allergic reaction, after which I stopped using earrings for so long that the pierced holes disappeared. Around eighteen, I wanted to use earrings again, so one day I took one of my earrings, pressed my lobes between two ice cubes, and when the cold pain numbed them enough I pierced them through. By the way, I have really think earlobes, which is good if I want to use heavy earrings, but which is a pain for piercing.

Going through the self piercing - and that was quite a task that left me gasping for air after the deed was done - kind of made me more conscious about what I put in my ears and how I treat my earrings. This time around I was careful to follow the rules, and sought mostly to use noble metal earrings, such as gold, silver, platinum and surgical steel. I learned that the quality of the earrings mattered more than the quantity, and that I would win nothing having 10 thousand earrings that would infect my lobes, but it was better to have 10 that  were safe.

Naturally my collection of earrings grew through time, and certain "not-so-safe" pieces also made it into my collection, such as my coconut-shell earrings (though I replaced the hooks on one of them, for those I use to make earrings. After making many of my earrings, I've noticed that these hooks are quite safe. You can also buy surgical steel hooks for crafting. If you do jewelry either for yourself, for gifts or for sale, being able to offer earrings with hooks made of this material is a very big plus!), or beautiful wood carved earrings that come with hooks of unknown origins, and then are all those that have been made by the talented Dragonfly, and those made by myself.

Somewhere along the way, I became so attached to earrings, that the sole idea of leaving home without earrings is unthinkable. I have, and I've spend half a day in hell, constantly grabbing my lobes and feeling literally naked. I can go a day without my cellphone, I can go a day without my diary in my bag, or a day without a book (a very, very boring and horible day, but I can do it), but I can't go a day without earrings.

The few times it has happened, I've ran to the nearest store to buy myself earrings - anytype of earrings! - as long as I could feel clothed again. The same happens if I accidentally lose an earring: I search for the missing part desperately, holding the naked lobe, and if I don't find it, I break into the closest store and buy a new pair. As result of these terrible tragedies, I started carrying in my make up bag at least two - but often three - pairs of earrings. Why so many? For precaution. I've the little pearl studs that go with everything and are very discreet. Those are the main selection for any occasion, and mostly formal cases. Then I've a dangling green pair - very beautiful - that's still discreet, but a little more playful, less elegant, but casual. Finally I carry a couple of 1.5 inch silver hoops. Those are the elegant and sexy pair. I reserve those mainly for the cases where I need a quick makeover on my attire, and those kick up the look, add elegance and make a statement - something that doesn't work with everybody, but women with olive skin like me, can pull out wonderfully.

Earrings are a must in my bag and my life, so I make sure I'm well provided with them.

What about you? Any funny thing or ritual you can't leave home or start your day without?