Going for Broke: Sometimes You Just Gotta Follow Your Instincts
My wife and 8-year-old daughter like to get pedicures together. My 5-year-old daughter has always refused. So, the other day we were shocked when she said she wanted to join the Nordstrom women on a trip to the nail salon.
I, of course, stayed home with my 3-year-old son…trying to pretend I was handy…and attempting to fix a few things around the house.An hour went by. I didn’t think I could pretend much longer.
Then another 15 minutes passed. At this point I was trying to look busy. And, then, another 30 minutes passed. By now I had started folding laundry. You know…manly work.
That’s when my wife walked through the door—with a grin I rarely see.
“The girls went to the back of the salon,” she said attempting to withhold giggles. ”I told the ladies at the front desk to just paint their toes.”
“And?” I asked.
“Put it this way,” she said, busting into laughter. “Her bill was $120 bucks.”
This is where my wife busted into uncontrollable hysterics—laughter that I’m saturated the entire neighborhood.
My girls walked through the door behind her. My 5-year-old had a smirk on her face as well—poised with a posture that showed a sense of pride.
She lifted her hands. She pointed at her toes. Every finger and toe on her body was sparkling blue. And, every finger and toe had a tiny flower painted on it.
My wife at this point can hardly stand because she is laughing so hard. Tears were forming in her eyes, and became difficult to understand anything she was saying. ”It seems there was a commuication gap,” she roared. ”Tell Daddy why you have flowers on ALL YOUR NAILS!”
“I couldn’t understand their spanish,” my daughter replied. ”So I just nodded my head.”
Here’s rub. All the ladies at the nail salon are Vietnamese.
What’s the point of this story?
Hey, so often in life—even as adults—we don’t fully understand what we’re getting ourselves into. But, instead of going for “the works” we’ll often shy away from an experience. Instead of nodding “yes,” we’ll shake our heads with “no.”
Go for “the works” next time. In this case, the fancy nail polish and flowers only lasted a day. But, I promise I’ll be telling this story for the 40 years.
Now, I just need to figure out how to make $120 bucks.