I got my first pedicure about 12 years ago.  It was a Mother’s Day excursion with the ladies in my small group from church.  I had no idea what to expect and quite frankly was a little embarrassed about my feet.  Even as a girl, I had never painted my toes or fingernails.  My mom was not a girly girl and neither was my grandmother and it seemed like a waste of money to them, even to do it themselves.  So, with this philosophy in my head, I had convinced myself that I didn’t really need it.  But because it was a group thing and I really liked the women in my group, I went along.  And I was hooked.  Just about every month since then, I go in, pick my color and get pampered for about an hour.

After the first few months of doing this (and excitedly sharing each new color with my husband, poor guy), my middle son very seriously asked, “mom, why do you feel the need to do this?”.  My quick answer was, “well, because I’m a girl and I like pretty things”.  In a household of males, they would tend to forget the fact that mom was actually female and not just “mom” and so they sometimes scratched their heads when it came to the things I liked to do.  But in the years that I’ve been doing this, I’ve started to watch other women’s reactions to having this done and I’m figuring out there’s more to it than just painting our toes.

Yesterday, I took a friend to get her first pedicure.  This woman is the most self-less person I’ve ever met.  Everyone in her life comes before her, and there’s not a martyr-like bone in her body; taking care of others is just what you do.  So, we picked out colors (she picked a great dark purple) and we sat down to let these wonderful ladies do their magic.  After soaking, trimming and cleaning, foot massages and then the color, we left feeling like new women.  Every so often she would look down and marvel at how the color sparkled and a smile would break out on her face.  Never mind that we were both sporting casual clothes, old sandals and wind-blown hair – we felt beautiful because of our feet.  Every woman I’ve ever seen leaves the salon with a smile on her face and a thank you on her lips.

And think about it.  Our feet are amazing. Mine have had to carry this body around for almost 58 years.  They have survived walking barefoot on and through a variety of environments (I did live in Kentucky after all), blisters, weight gains, swelling through pregnancies, standing all day teaching and marching band.  And so they more than deserve the monthly pampering and the investment that goes with it.

But it’s even more than the physical. Despite the aging and the weight gain in my life, and on those days when I am not feeling or looking my best, there’s something magical about how a pedicure can make you feel.  I feel prettier, more feminine, somehow more put together or “polished” if you’ll forgive the pun.  People will notice and say nice things about my toes, of all things, like “what a pretty color” or “what a beautiful design”.  The ladies I go to actually free hand designs on my big toes.  It’s like having original artwork on your feet : )  And the colors!!  I for one LOVE color and it’s an opportunity to change things up, choose colors that reflect the seasons, my mood or just my personality.  Purple of course tends to be my favorite, but this last one was blue as it is our school color and school starts tomorrow.  It injects just a bit of whimsy into what can be a crazy life and schedule.

So many women I know give and give and give of themselves to their careers, their children and families, and to their communities and yet they hesitate to do something nice for themselves as though it’s selfish.  I’m not at all saying that it should be all about me, but once in a while I need that “me” time to replenish myself so that I have the energy to continue taking care of all of the other important people in my life.  So ladies, why not call a friend you know has been giving their all for others and take them for a pedicure?  Choose your color, watch it sparkle and smile together.