Several days ago I got a pedicure. I am a big fan of pedicures, and I get them regularly. Definitely a privilege that not everyone gets or wants to have.
Because I am such a fan, I take my pedicures very seriously. I wait a long time to let my polish dry, and I look like I am walking around on eggshells for hours afterwards so I don’t smudge or ruin the beautiful job done by the nail technician. Unfortunately, sometimes I bump into something and smudge a nail, and it absolutely annoys the heck out of me. I become distracted by it and if I have that color of polish at home I will usually touch it up. I mostly don’t even bother doing a manicure because I cannot stand the smudges and chips that happen on my fingernails – at least with my toenails I can keep the polish on them for weeks at a time if I stay vigilant during the first 12 to 24 hours after my pedicure.
A few minutes ago I looked down at my newly polished toenails, only to discover a huge smudge on one of my toenails. It was so obvious I could see it even in the dim light of the room. And, I am pretty sure I don’t have any color to touch it up. I am not going to lie – I am so frustrated right now. I tried so hard to keep something beautiful, but I have failed.
Of course, when I think about it, this is yet another metaphor for life. We try so hard to make something look good or perfect or beautiful, but then it gets messed up. Our lives have some nicely decorated parts, but there are also the messes. So, while I don’t like what I perceive to be an imperfection, I will have to live with it. Because, like life, we take the beauty and the smudges and continue to move forward.