Nails

French tip, gel, lacquer, acrylic...claws

I used to have long beautiful nails as a teen. I would sit for hours and manicure them, paint them, and work to keep them so nice. I felt it was a sign of elegance and sophistication. While there were always nail salons, very few people I knew actually went to one. They took care of that aspect of their person on their own.

Fast forward ten years and being in college, then graduate school, and having to type papers, I really didn’t bother with long nails.

In fact, they became a hindrance to everyday life.

Now if you take a look at history you find that long elegant finger nails goes back to China. It was a sign of wealth, because the longer the nails the less you could actually do for yourself. It meant you had to have enough money to pay for others to help you with your everyday bodily needs, beyond even taking care of your home.

Perhaps, that is still why long nails are a thing today. Not only is it a sign that you can afford to go to the salon to get acrylics or gels, but you are definitely not going to be cleaning toilets with those french tips. You have reached that economic stature that we all strive for.

In fact, we can all agree that suddenly long nails, I mean really long nails in the vein of ancient China, are now a thing. Checking that cultural box, that is why there was even the TV show Claws. (Being totally honest here, I never watched it so I have no idea what it was about, except somehow the length of the protagonists nails indicated something about the main characters.)

Over time, I have gone back and forth about my nails. I had short nails. I had gels. I had tips. I had long painted nails with vibrant colors. I had short nails with clear coats. One day, though, I really did not like the way my nails looked.

I kept thinking they simply do not look right. And then I got that diagnosis-breast cancer. (They caught it very early during my yearly routine mammogram/ultrasound. I have been cancer free for years and was released by my oncologist 3 years ago. LADIES GET YOUR MAMMOGRAM- IT SAVED MY LIFE)

Remember, your nails are the first indication of health. If there is a problem emerging you can bet that you will see something in your nails. So it is very important to pay close attention to yourself. You are allowed to care about yourself. (Well isn’t that the point of this substack? The title is my attempt at sarcasm. We aren’t unimportant are we?)

Anyway, I am fascinated at present by the emphasis on the varied types of manicures. Everyday online you will see articles not just about the different nail colors for the specific season, but there are now names for the types of manicure you can get. Suddenly, your nails are supposed to tell a story about who you are. It is not just telling the world that you are of a particular economic stature, but you need to delve further into your psyche and show the world your inner self.

Your nails are personal to you. It is decorative and a beauty statement that allows you to shine and be different than the person sitting next to you. Your nails are hardcore manifestations about who you are now, and perhap where you see yourself going.

Your nails are more than matching the color to your evening dress, or being sedate for the office. Your nails are a cultural statement. Blinged out, or mosaic, square shaped or almond, your nails are fashion. As important, or maybe even more important, than what handbag you carry, clothes you put on your back, or car you drive, well maybe they kinda go together. (Depends on your pocketbook.) Manicures finish your look.

At present, truth be told, my nails are back to being short. Nope can’t clean toilets with long nails, or mop a kitchen floor. But what you also can’t do with long nails is type. Well, there may be some people who can type with long nails, but I am simply not one of them.

Whether you type for work, or its for that time when the writer’s bug hits. You just need to get it all down as fast as you can, its as if that keyboard is attached at your hip, or at your fingertips. Creating is a large part of being who I am now. Honestly, I realized it’s been a large part of me forever, it just took a detour for a bit.

Manicured, clear coat, short nails that can feel the keys on the laptop keyboard. There is just something about that keyboard that gives me a particular inner feeling of nirvana. It brings peace and tranquility into my life. It provides me with an area that allows me to exist beyond myself. It is a compulsion to make sure that I get the words from my head into the world.

Now pedicures for me, on the other hand, are a different story altogether. I looooooove pedicures. Gotta have them pedicures. Gotta have that massage. Gotta have those brightly colored toenails that I can show off when I wear my flipflops.

I really simply can’t wait for my next pedicure. So besides wine, and chocolate, it’s another vice.