I got a ring today. A new wedding ring? A graduation ring? A championship ring? No, no, and no.

I was seeing patients in our outreach clinic when I noticed that one patient was wearing a one dollar ring on his finger. I don’t mean that the price of the ring was $1. Or yes it was. What I really mean is that it was a one-dollar bill that was folded into a ring.

Origami is the art of paper folding. It is often associated with the Japanese culture. This form of art is not just for the kids but it has some serious following. In fact even NASA engineers are studying origami to help design their future satellites, shuttles and other structures that can fold and unfold in space. This simple art has become rocket science.

A couple of weeks ago while we were in church, my son folded the church’s paper bulletin (while listening to the sermon I hope) and fashioned it into a wrist watch. It looks like an Apple watch actually. A little boy who was sitting beside us, probably aged 4 or 5, saw and admired it. My son gave his paper watch to him and that made the little boy happy.

I also saw my son folded a one-dollar bill and fashioned it into a bow tie before. But he has not wear it outside. Definitely not in church. I don’t think his mom will let him.

Back to my clinic patient, it was unusual to have a grown up man to be wearing a paper jewelry, I thought. Maybe it was his fashion statement. So I asked him about it and he just said that it was simply his hobby.

He then took the paper ring off his finger and gave it to me. I don’t really want to get his ring, but he insisted.

Well, I can say that I was paid $1 today for my service.

My $1 ring