They say that when the going gets tough, the tough get going. They don’t say where the tough go though do they? Well, if I may be so bold, I’d like to suggest that for women at least, when the going gets tough, she should get going to the nail salon for a pedicure. There seems to be few problems that can’t be helped by thirty minutes or so in the pedicure spa chair.
Such an intoxicating experience, to sit in a massaging recliner with your feet immersed in a mini spa tub, jets pulsing the tired soreness from those poor weary soldiers who literally carry the weight of your world. And, if that weren’t enough, gentle hands tenderly reach for and caress these poor soles making them feel so good, refreshing them for the next steps of the day as they tote along the “few” extra pounds you’ve added over the years.
After the scrub, massage and coat of fresh color (I chose this shade of lavender shimmer just to reach outside the box.), it’s a short wobble in disposable flip flops and toe separators to the drying fans. Yesterday I had my Kindle with me to finally finish the last few chapters of my book. But it was not to be.
Jesus may have said where two or more are gathered, I am there. Well, He must be the one that starts up all these conversations with me and whoever I am near because in my case where I am gathered with just one other human being, there is chatting.
Yesterday my reading was interrupted by a delightful older woman who was getting her toes done following a lengthy hospital stay. She complained a little about her back hurting. I asked her why she’d been in the hospital. To have a portion of her lung removed due to cancer she replied. Well, I suppose that would hurt a bit.
Once the door had been cracked open; out poured her story. She’d moved here about twenty years ago from Levittown, PA to help out with grandchildren, one of whom had some type of special needs. She’s happy here; loves the area and is saddened by the amount of growth she has seen over the years. Aside from caring for her family, she worked for about ten year at the Greene County Senior Center.
I asked her if she had any further treatments ahead. Nope, she’d already told her doctors; no chemo, no radiation. She wants to spend whatever time she has left on her own, with her family and not strapped into a schedule of medical procedures. Being on the receiving end of care was difficult for her, but she was really contented with her bright pink toes.
So oodles of thanks to the Russian immigrant who invented invented the pedicure spa chair in his garage in 1985. According to Wikipedia there were 50,000 nail spas in the US in 2000; as of 2010 the number has doubled. Personally I am thankful to live within walking distance from two salons. I know that if I had to walk, my feet would be rewarded for the effort.