Happy Feet

On any gift-giving occasion, when I am asked what I want, a pedicure is usually on the list, because when I’m armed with a gift certificate I feel less guilty about an hour of pure self-indulgence, a time when someone makes you feel relaxed and beautiful. Plus it’s the gift that keeps on giving: I am excited to receive the certificate, I enjoy the anticipation of going to the salon, and if I get a pedicure late in the spring or early in the summer, with occasional polish changes my feet look great all during sandal season.

And so one Saturday afternoon I found myself, armed with said gift certificate, at Happy Nails, a windowless salon in a strip mall near my home. The employees, most of them young Vietnamese women with limited English skills, do a fine job with both basic manicures and more detailed nail art. My friend calls the women who work in these salons “nail slaves,” although when I arrive one of them is enjoying an iced coffee from Starbucks, so she must be doing okay financially. But then, not all slavery is related to income.  

Lei, the young lady who will be doing my nails, leaves me to select my polish color as she prepares a pedicure chair. I bring her my choice—pale blue with a touch of green—climb into my chair, and slip my bare feet into the warm water. I am seated next to a silent gentleman who reminds me of Burt from last season’s “Project Runway.” I’ve never seen a man getting a pedicure before, but I don’t judge. Getting a pedicure feels pretty wonderful, and there’s no reason that this should be a luxury reserved for women.

Lei makes no effort at conversation with me, which I appreciate, but chats happily in Vietnamese with the young lady who is attending to “Burt.” I hadn’t remembered to grab a magazine, so I watch the European soccer match playing on the TV. It seems an odd program choice for this venue, but because it is the Dutch team playing, I feign interest.

A woman across the salon flips through a magazine with cover text that boldly exclaims 352 MUST-HAVES for SUMMER! Must-haves? While I don’t doubt that the list contains many fun, innovative, and perhaps even practical products, 352 must-haves seems a bit excessive. Beyond sunscreen, plenty of water, and a great pair of sunglasses, what else do you really need for summer? I’m hard-press to think of 352 things I MUST have for all of life, let alone for the summer of 2012.

My must-haves for summer—the season of dress-down, kick-back, and stress less—are really more in the category of want-to-dos:

·         Consume lots of ice cream, and eat fresh tomatoes from the famers market weekly

·         Spend as much time as possible in or near water

·         Get a couple of projects done around the house

·         Spend time with my family doing all of the above

There are other things I like to do, too, but none of them is critical to my life, and a long shopping list seems counter-intuitive to all of them. And there are things I’d like to have, but as long as I have food, shelter, transportation, and a means to maintain those things for myself and my family, my life is really pretty good.

Burt’s manicurist has asked him a question, and he quietly says, “My cat died yesterday” before falling back into a far-away silence. His manicurist finishes her work without further comment; Burt pays and leaves.

Loss reminds us that our must-haves are not the things we buy or apply or possess, but the things we wear in our hearts. The world is full of beautiful things, but must-haves are the living beings we love and the memories we make with them. A life well-lived is touched by love in every moment.

Lei finishes putting the polish on my toes, and I admire the color. She smiles, and I am struck by her beauty. I hope that she is happy and loved, and that life will lead her beyond this place. In the meantime, I leave her a good tip, in the hopes that she can use it for whatever must-have brings her joy.