Kim’s Message: Life is Short, Reach for the Brass Ring

March was an interesting month for me. I kicked it off with a visit to a local emergency room and about 15 hours later had emergency gallbladder surgery. For those of you reading this who’ve had a similar experience, I salute you—it’s not fun. But the initial agony eventually turned into a gift after the gallbladder was gone. My oldest daughter flew in from Austin, TX to help me recuperate and to give my primary caretaker (my hubby) a break. And, I was overwhelmed with the amount of well wishes, homemade soups, and flowers I received from family, friends and coworkers.

My parents were frequent visitors; happy to see their granddaughter and learn more about her life and adventures. My daughter and her husband have embraced the music scene in Austin and love to camp, hike and travel the world. They are in their 30s and are genuinely concerned about the planet and politics and giving back to others. Having three generations of family together, it was great to share stories and know that my daughter is living her life to the fullest. At one point my Dad said to his granddaughter, “hang on to that Brass Ring as long as you can sweetie.” A puzzled look crossed her face, but she just smiled and hugged him.

Later on my daughter asked me, “Mom, what was Papa talking about when he said hold on to the brass ring?” I gave her a quick explanation about how I thought the quote means that you’ve reached the top or you’ve got the prize.  She remarked she’d never heard that comment, so looked it up to see where that quote came from.

Per the internet, Grabbing the brass ring means striving for the highest prize (especially a championship ring in sports), or living life to the fullest. Apparently carousels once had a small arm that extended toward riders which dispensed iron and brass rings. If someone was able to grab a brass ring—he or she won a prize. Hence, “going for the brass ring” means going for an outstanding, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that suddenly comes up. It is not clear when the phrase came into wide use but has been found in dictionaries as far back as the late nineteenth century.

During my two week recovery I was forced to slow down my normally hectic pace in order to heal. As I rested, I had more time to reflect on my life. I am a self-acknowledged workaholic, but I am passionate about what I do. My work gives me purpose and lots of wonderful opportunities to meet incredible people. But I also realized during my time off, as I received phone calls and visits, and gifts how many friends and relationships I have formed and nurtured over the years. I think I will call my daughter and let her know, that I am feeling very grateful because I’ve grabbed a brass ring, too!

Here’s to a Healthy and Happy Spring!