Yesterday, I went to the nail salon for a pedicure. Not big news, unless you have seen my feet in sandals lately. I am truly sorry if they have offended you-my last pedicure was over 4 months ago. So, yesterday I finally went to take care of my ugly feet.
I like to watch people while I am getting my nails done. Admit it, you do too. You can learn a lot from what you see and hear in a nail salon. Tragedies and dramas galore! If you do not know this personally, I definitely recommend the experience. It's not spying because you can't help hearing the stories, right? What I learned yesterday blew my mind away. It was a perfectly-timed infusion of hope for my soul. Here is what happened:
As I sat in the massage chair, holding on tight so I would not be thrown out by the sheer force of the massage-really-I watched three girls in their late teen/early twenties come in and begin to choose their nail polish. One of them was seated in the massage chair next to mine and soon I heard her calling out to the others, "I want my toes sparkly!", "Please tell him, I don't think he understands!" ,"I am sorry, I don't mean to bother you, but I am worried.", "I am sorry, I am sorry, I am sorry." Her slow, halting speech and her mannerisms told me that this sweet girl was developmentally disabled. The other two young women were her caregivers. They may or may not have been related to the girl, but they were clearly in charge of her care.
Each time the sweet girl called out, the caregivers patiently answered her and reassured her that her nails would be as beautiful as she imagined. Several times they got up from their manicures and came over to comfort her to make sure she was understood by the nail technician. They showed no impatience or frustration whatsoever. The caregivers clearly loved this precious girl. Then, a pretty young employee from the salon came over and told the girl how she loved the polish that she had chosen. The teen sat on a stool beside the girl and visited with her for over 5 minutes. Several other employees followed her lead and came over to reassure the anxious girl that her nails would be perfect. The girl beamed and clearly felt special and, finally, understood.
I am pretty sure that I had a goofy smile on my face as I watched. My heart was so full. Seeing the love and acceptance offered to this young girl gave me a new hope for my children's future. There are people in this world who see past the limitations and differences to the true goodness inside. I wish I could could tell the girl's mom what I saw, how I watched people loving her daughter. I think her heart would be full too.
If we all extended this type of love and acceptance, what a different world we would have. It is hard. Mental illness, homelessness, drug abuse, hurting people. Children and adults with disabilities. They are all someone's child. Their mothers rocked them, loved them, and had hope for their future that was dashed away somehow. Extending ourselves and trying to understand is much easier when people are just like us. What I saw yesterday truly hit me hard. I believe I was in that place at that time for a reason and I am grateful.
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