Windex was the answer. Freaking Windex!

Last year I got engaged. On Easter Sunday, after an 18 mile training run, my fiancé Jonathan got down on one knee and proposed.

“Oh my gosh,” I said, in shock. I had been completely oblivious to the signs. “Yes,” I exclaimed. He put the pear-shaped diamond, his mother’s, on my ring finger as my right hand flew to cover my mouth. “Yes!”

That day was pretty perfect. The only thing that wasn’t was the ring size. Jonathan sized the ring based on his pinkie finger: a 6 size. It would’ve been a good guess if my limbs were normal. Unfortunately for me, they’re not; they’re tiny. So the next day, we went to the jeweler to get my ring resized.

If you’ve ever gotten your ring sized, you know what a ring sizer looks like. It’s like a set of keys except your finger in the key. The jeweler puts your finger through the holes of the ring sizer set until he/she finds the best fit.

Barry, the jeweler, tried size 5 ½, then 5 ¼, then 5, and then 4 ½. At size 4 ½, I was on the fence. So, he tried the next size down: 4 ¼. And then, my finger was stuck.

I freaked out for a second. Okay, it was more like a minute. I couldn’t get the ring sizer off my finger! It was time to amputate. Moments later, Barry came to the rescue with Windex. Freaking Windex! The ring sizer slipped right off, just like the peel of a ripe banana. I was amazed, and decided to have my ring sized to 4 ½.

I am sharing this story with you for two reasons. First, many people were surprised that Windex was the solution to my ring woe. Keep that tip in mind when your fingers swell during warm weather and you can’t take off your ring.

More importantly, I am sharing this story because there is a bigger lesson to it. As human beings, we can become overwhelmed by the smallest issues. It’s important to remember that the solution might be just as simple as the problem. The answer to getting unstuck might be right under your nose.

This post is my contribution to the Your Turn Challenge. I am joining thousands of secretly inspiring people in challenging myself to write and ship one blog post every day for seven days. Today is day five of the challenge. Click the hyperlink above for more information.