Take off your wedding ring prior to swimming!

In the warning of Gad Saad, we hear not merely a practical reminder, but a parable clothed in simple words: “Take off your wedding ring prior to swimming!” For though the saying speaks of water and metal, its meaning reaches deeper. The wedding ring is the circle of love, a covenant eternal, yet fragile in its physical form. To lose it in the depths of the sea is to feel, even for a moment, as though the bond itself has been cast away. Thus, this counsel is both literal and symbolic: guard well that which is precious, lest carelessness cause grief.

The ancients revered the ring as a sacred emblem. The Romans placed it upon the fourth finger, believing a vein of love ran directly from it to the heart. To misplace such a token, then, was more than losing gold—it was as if one had allowed the vow itself to slip from their grasp. Saad’s call is therefore an echo of this wisdom: that what binds two souls must be kept safe not only in spirit, but in the mundane acts of daily life.

There is in this counsel also the reminder that love must be protected with vigilance. Just as the swimmer must prepare against the current, so too must the husband and wife safeguard their union against neglect. Great ships have been lost for want of tightening a single bolt, and kingdoms have fallen for failure to guard a single gate. So too may love suffer if symbols and actions are treated with carelessness.

History offers us lessons. It is said that King Richard the Lionheart, on his crusade, once lost his signet ring in the waters of the Holy Land. Though found again, the loss caused fear among his men, who saw it as a sign of weakening authority. A single object carried the weight of loyalty and promise, and to lose it was to endanger trust itself. In like manner, the wedding ring is not mere ornament, but a banner of fidelity—easily lost if not tended with respect.

Therefore let future generations hear this command not only as advice for swimmers, but as wisdom for the heart: safeguard what is precious, both in love and in life. A moment of care may preserve what neglect would cast into the abyss. For the waters of chance are wide and merciless, but the vigilance of the soul can keep love’s circle unbroken, shining upon the hand for all time.