Green Toes and Pam

Just hours after arriving down the shore, I decided to treat myself to a manicure and pedicure—mostly because I wanted to wear open-toed flip-flops without embarrassment.  My stepdaughter directed me to her favorite nail salon, so off I went.  Nail Detail was a small salon and thankfully, not too crowded when I arrived. “MANI-PEDI,” an operator shouted after I told her what I was after. “Pick your color!” she directed. 

The wall of polishes made me blink—so many to choose from… I settled upon a happy pinkish-orange shade. As soon as I’d made my selection, a lovely looking Asian woman approached me.  “Hi, welcome.  I’m Pam.”  Pam escorted me back to the massage chairs and started running the water immediately.  I learned a lot about Pam as she scrubbed my feet.  She was 24 years old.  She had 4 year old twin daughters.  She was Vietnamese.  She’d come to the States to study to be a teacher.  Her husband, whom she knew since elementary school days, stayed in Vietnam.  She would be returning to her native land next Spring.  All of this in less than 20 minutes.

Pam then reached for the polish I’d chosen.  “You really want this color?” she asked, at once making me reconsider.  “Well, I…” 

“How about green?” she suggested.  “Green will match your eyes and your blouse.” 

“GREEN?” I asked incredulously.  “I’ve never, ever had green on my toenails.” 

“But it’s summer,” she argued.  “You can wear every color in summer. It’s fun to do that.”

Even though I was wary, I realized she had a point—it was summer. I was down the shore to have fun.  Green might be fun. 

“Okay, Pam, let’s do it!” I heard myself tell her.  Pam was delighted.

So here I am, the day after, with green toenails.  They look weird.  But after all, it is summer….

”Just play. Have fun.  Enjoy the game.” –Michael Jordan

” If you obey all the rules, you miss the fun.”—Katherine Hepburn

”If you never did you should.  These things are fun and fun is good.”—Dr. Seuss 


Enjoy your day!