Ankle Peace

       

  

D.C. Peace March January 2007

     Well, the peace symbol earring story can’t go by without mention of an earlier story. Of course, peace symbols were ubiquitous during the Vietnam War, or at least they seemed to be to me – jewelry, bumper stickers, tee shirts, flags. Then there were a couple of decades of our country being more at peace than at war, and I guess the peace symbols waned throughout the land if not in my imagination.

         In 2003 as it became apparent our country was going to enter Iraq, over protests of “this will become another Vietnam,” I went to the mall to purchase peace symbol jewelry to wear. To my surprise, tee shirts, bumper stickers, and flags were not in the storefronts sporting the peace symbol. Were they not in demand? It was disturbing. After going through every store on both floors of the mall, I was unable to find any jewelry or anything else with the peace symbol on it. I was sad. My lone opinion does not do much to change the world, but at least I could wear it every day – to remind me and perhaps touch others.

Peace flag from Amanda's trip to Italy 2008

         I started through the stores again, focusing on the jewelry displays, and then I skipped a few shops and headed to Claire’s. This is a boutique chock-filled with bracelets, necklaces, hair bows and many other accessories. It is where Amanda and Sarah got their ears pierced for the first, and maybe, if I remember correctly, the second times years earlier. It is a good place to go for seasonal jewelry also – fun. And that evening, looking for the peace symbol jewelry, I told myself to place my hand on every single item in the store so as to convince myself I had not missed anything.    

   Next to a display of dog collars for women that were popular that year, (remember those hideous tight ribbons with the spikes sticking out? Ladies, what were you thinking?!)  was a rack of jewelry stuffed with items on sale. I patiently started to touch every single item. And then there behind about five other dangly objects, I found an ankle bracelet with a lone peace symbol on it! Where there was one, there could be more. I excitedly checked everything else on the rack and then the rest of the store.

Gift to Stories on the Square August 2017 from Kristina Johnson

         An ankle bracelet was not what I had in mind when I entered the mall that night. But one ankle bracelet appeared to be the only thing in the entire mall with a peace symbol.

         I bought it and put it on my ankle. And the peace symbol anklet did not come off again until one day, a couple of years later, after I had gone swimming at Lake Lanier, I noticed it was gone. This was after the peace symbol made a big comeback at the malls and is ubiquitous again throughout the land. It was after “mission accomplished” in Iraq. The war, however, was still on.   

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