Yesterday two of my girls and I had a “pedi” day at the mall. I need to prefix this with a couple of items. First, until recently, I was a “no one is going to touch my toes” person. Just couldn’t go there. Toes and ears…have a personal phobia about them. Really, God?, you didn’t do such a pretty job on toes and ears! But after much drama/trauma, my middle child convinced me to have a pedicure one day, and…the heavens opened…wow, amazing!, wonderful! And now, I do pedicures. (Life lesson. Yes, we can be wrong sometimes.)
Second, if you’ve been reading this blog, you know that I’m not a particularly over-the-top vain person. I want to be clean, smell good, and can do my make-routine in less than 5 minutes.
So, we get to the mall, roll up the pant legs (don’t want to get them wet), and slide our little tooties into the perfectly hot water for a soak, hit the button for pulsating massage on the lower back…ahhh, wonderful.
Until I hear a shriek. “Mother! Gross!” “Mother, when did you shave your legs last?” At this point, I’m still not phased by the ghastly exclamation and moans coming from the girls. “I don’t know. I don’t shave much anymore. Too hard to bend over in the shower. And anyway, when you’re old, the hair is very thin. You don’t have to shave often.” Deep sigh, as this is interrupting my massage. But, guess I’d take a look, which requires lowering the reading glasses from their perch on the top of my head to before my eyes.
“Oh!” I will admit, even I was shocked. The girls were still ranting about being able to braid it and all. They were even so bold as to name-drop a few of my ‘more refined’ friends that probably not only shave but get bikini waxes. And for just a moment, I was embarrassed that the little gal massaging sea salt onto my feet and legs was having to see and feel the unshaven legs. We won’t even go there as to the conversation by my girls on what my husband might think. He loves me doesn’t he? It’s not prickly at this point, probably rather soft! I try to diffuse the moment by explaining that there are countries where women don’t shave. “Not in America, mom!”
I guess what was running through my mind at that point was “dang this old age stuff”…”can’t even see the darn hair on my legs without reading glasses”…
but the moment of embarrassment was enough to shame me in to pinky promising my children that 49andcounting is not old enough to quit shaving my legs. So…
Today, I have the cutest toes…and smooth shaven legs!
49andcounting 