I recently made the big decision that it was time to start seeing a professional to care for my feet. It’s not that they were in such rough or dire shape; it’s just that I have a little technical problem when it comes to my toenails… I have a hard time seeing them clearly.
The fact is that I am no stranger to pedicures, as I had my first one almost twenty years ago. Even though I enjoyed the treatment, my decision not to have them more often came down to economics.
At that time, I was getting more out of seeing massage therapists to soothe the aches and pains I experienced from being a runner and a desk worker. Even with the assistance of a good health insurance plan, I still ended up paying out of pocket for some of my treatments, but it was worth every penny given how much I got out of them.
Also, I chose to see an esthetician periodically for facials, to care for my skin that was prone to redness and dryness.
Those were my two priorities at the time.
Now, things are a little different. My exercise routines are gentler on the constitution, and the desk work I do today (writing) is for the pure pleasure of it, on my schedule. As a result, massage therapy has moved down my priority list.
Shortly after turning 60, I found myself struggling with my toenail-clipping ritual. I’m pleased to say that my exercise routines have helped me maintain my flexibility, so getting my leg up on a surface and keeping it there was not the problem. It was the range of vision to see what I was doing.
Normally, I don’t need glasses to see things up close like my mobile devices, books, my laptop, or my PC. But just past that range, I do. When trying to care for my toenails, I noticed that they were in that weird middle ground. Whether I had my glasses on or off, it didn’t seem to help, given the distance and the detail work involved.
When I became aware that I wasn’t truly seeing what I was doing and was calling upon a fair bit of guessing, I realized that this wasn’t quite working anymore, which can be dangerous when dealing with sharp objects. When I’d take a step back to see how they looked, I thanked my lucky stars I wasn’t someone who wore sandals much, because this was downright shoddy work. I wouldn’t tip myself for my own pedicure treatments. It was time to call the professionals.
Fortunately, my delightful esthetician, who had been my go-to for facials for the last year, also offered pedicures. I booked my first appointment, reasoning that not only could she see my toes considerably better than I could, but with her expertise, should there be any emerging issues requiring medical consultation, she could also point them out.
As my feet were soaking in the perfect temperature of warm, sudsy water, any apprehensions or embarrassment over my previous handiwork faded quickly. I knew I was in good hands.
She carefully trimmed the nails, tended to the cuticles, and smoothed out the odd rough spot here and there. By the time the treatment was complete, my feet looked like they were in showroom condition.
The best part is that in the weeks that followed, my toenails continued looking their best as they grew out beautifully shaped, as opposed to my previous handiwork that had them looking like a craft project gone wrong.
Not surprisingly, I booked another appointment to do it all over again a few weeks later, confident that my feet could look and feel great throughout my senior years.
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Sincere thanks for reading!
Have a great day,
André
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