fingernails

I have just used screen capture on my new computer's web cam to try to show my hands. I obviously can photograph only one hand since I need the other to push the button, but I just wanted to show the world my ugly hands and nails and explain why I LIKE these ugly hands and nails. I have never once "had my nails done" and likely never will. Now and then I cut my nails, usually after one of the nails breaks down to the quick (since they are brittle and thin). I tried using fingernail polish and nail hardeners and so forth, but they didn't work and were far more trouble than they were worth.

I USE my hands. A lot. I paint. I type. I dig in dirt. I wash dishes. I pet cats. I almost never worry whether my hands look good since as far as I am concerned, they are utilitarian parts of my body. I don't get pedicures, either. I use lotion, but mainly because I can't stand my hands or feet feeling dry. People who do go for manicures and pedicures are fine by me (we all have the right to do what we want with our own bodies, after all), but that's just not a priority for me. If I have a few extra bucks, I'm more likely to head to the arts and crafts store instead of the salon. I don't "tan" and I don't spend a lot of money on my hair. I don't spend much money on my clothing.

Either I'm happy being plain and don't mind being trailer-trash hick, or I have other priorities. I'm reading a book right now by Jesse Kellerman (son of one of my favorite authors, Jonathan Kellerman), and he writes about a young man with a horrible childhood who embraces a life of the mind because he can see in his family what happens when it's a life of the body. Alcoholism, abuse, insensitivity, unkindness, rudeness. Of course, it's not that simple. There are many varieties of lives of the mind and of the body, and probably the healthiest people among us (both physically and emotionally) are people who embrace the interconnectedness of body and mind. But I completely relate to what Kellerman's character is thinking. I prefer a life of the mind and reject many of the outward signs of a life of the body.