I treated myself to a pedicure today, and I think my feet look awesome! They certainly feel wonderful after all the pampering - massaging, hot stones, and exfoliation. I look down at those perfectly polished toes and feel a little glow of happiness.
Here is where I find the world divides. In my world, a pedicure is a treat, a self-indulgence. Some people see them as basic grooming and would be horrified that my last pedicure was nine months ago. That doesn't mean that I don't care for my feet myself - I do regularly and carefully - just not professionally.
I had a rather rotten day yesterday. A friend passed away after a long illness, so there was the busy-ness of helping notify people. And it seemed to be a day for hearing other people's pain. It means a lot to me that friends feel they can unburden and talk to me, but yesterday was a pileup. From frustration with a grown child, a mutual friend's cancer, to a friend' heartache of learning her brand-new grandchild is not the offspring of your son and so was now leaving their lives.....Hearing other people's pain has a residual effect on your own emotions. By bedtime, I was emotionally exhausted.
Before I fell asleep, I decided I needed a treat - and a pedicure fits better into my budget than does a massage - and it was easier to book. And here is where my emotional worlds collide. My mother, God bless her, would have been horrified at the idea of spending money on a pedicure, money that could have been better spent on something else. But more modern (oh, last 20 years?) has reminded women that they are WORTH being indulged, that considering time and money spent on pampering is something to be valued. Sometimes the tension between those two ideologies pulls tight.
And yet, I find myself noting that the "indulge yourself" train of thought is largely advocated by the world of fashion. And here comes yet another tension (now, seriously, who would have thought there could be so much philosophy involved in some simple nail polish?). The push for self-indulgence comes from the fashionable world, where a woman is often judged by the style of her clothes and the state of her grooming. Would it be better to use that same amount of money for God's kingdom? To invest in good deeds rather than pink toes? Can't I have both (well, yes, of course, I can)?
I've gotten past the low self-esteem that would denounce me as unworthy of having a pedicure. But I still have far too many deep thoughts about pedicures
