1 – 12 – 18 Physically Manifesting our Identities (4 minutes)

For the Fall 15’s season this year we handed out MRugby dog tags to everyone who was on the top 23 side that week. If you came off the Top 23, including injuries, you had to hand off your dog tag to whoever took your spot. I’ve never really been a big jewelry guy before (read: I never wore accessories of any kind) but I took to the dog tag. I think it was because it was an honor of sorts. It made me feel special to put it on because it was a reminder that I had earned something.

Furthermore, it was a reminder of what I owed to the club. Through this reminder of obligation it was also a physical manifestation of my identity as a rugger at U of M. Through my experience of wearing the dog tag, the care I would take to keep track of it, and the distress I felt without it I realized there was something important going on here.

Through tattoos, jewelry, and jerseys cultures throughout time have made their identities visible. I think the importance of it isn’t in the sharing though. Think about it, usually you wear a dog tag inside your shirt.

I think it’s similar to the idea of those WWJD bracelets but a little more subtle and powerful than that. If you can get a real, physical object that means something definite and describable to you you’ll have a lot harder time losing track of who you are.

While I was wearing the dog tag I could never not feel like an athlete. I could never not feel like I belonged to this tribe. Every time I felt the cold steel against my skin it reminded me of myself.

I drank too much and left my dog tag at a friend’s house a couple months ago and still haven’t went back to get it. So initially I started wearing the necklace I wear now (an adjustable black string band with a Celtic cross on it) as kind of a replacement for that feeling. I missed having something around my neck.

[ One practical note real quick for anyone who wants to try this. It’s a lot easier to start doing this with something you can hide. A necklace worn under the shirt works perfectly. My brother’s got a tattoo on his right triceps which is pretty discreet as well. Not only does having your indicator hidden lessen any anxiety about it (matching my outfit, what will people think, etc.) it’s a reminder that it’s not for other people! Whatever you’re choosing to wear to remind yourself who you are is about you! ]

As I started wearing that new necklace I started questioning if it meant anything. I considered getting it blessed, I considered searching to see if I had any old jewelry from relatives I could wear instead. But I realized the meaning it had would only ever be the meaning I gave it, no one else could make me feel this little bit of steel was important. I realized that the way this thing, this little trinket, would gain importance was through the time it spent with me. The time it spent reminding me of Jesus’s presence in my life, so close to my heart.

And what could bless it but this living in good faith? What means more to God? What will truly imbue something with spiritual significance other than long proximity to a person whom God is moving through? This is the whole idea of relics. The clothes of a saint are not special. Indeed, they are usually pretty pedestrian in terms of commercial value at the time. They gain their value through their constant contact with a holy person.

So now this necklace means a great deal to me. I greatly miss it when I forget to put it back on after showering or sleeping. I frequently grab and feel it when I’m feeling tempted, tried, or bored. It’s a piece of constancy in my life, something we all need. And it’s furthermore a reminder of the greater constancy I have in my savior.

I firmly believe this practice has led me to live a more consistent life. I can’t forget who I am because every time I feel or see this piece of jewelry it reminds me of the frame of mind I was in when I decided to wear it and what it means to me. It’s a centering object that forces me to focus if I’ll pay attention to it.

Most people only get tattoos that they find meaning in, and I think this is a similar concept. But I think this takes it one step farther. If you want to live a consistent life, to be able to keep up a high level of performance in your personal, professional, and spiritual realms you’ll have a much easier time if you have something that reminds you who you are (yes like the Moana song). A tattoo that reminds you of a beloved relative is beautiful and good. An engagement ring has enormous meaning. But I’m finding I need something that’s just about me and the kind of man I want to be.