adventures in nail salons

tonight, on my way to visit the d family, i made a stop at my favorite nail salon. after my polish change was complete, i sat waiting for the 'safe zone' to arrive. the safe zone, of course, being that magic moment when it becomes safe to exit the salon, dig through your mary-poppins like purse for the keys you forgot to extract prior to the manicure, get into your car, and bash your nail into the door (as always inevitably happens) without said nail showing any evidence of the disastrous run in.

so while i sat and waited for the safe zone, i did what everyone does in a nail salon, i passed judgment and i eavesdropped.

the judgments and the eavesdropping went pretty typically for awhile, until a somewhat slovenly and grumpy looking woman entered. i mean, she looked reaallly grumpy. she sat down and as her asian nail lady, or rather, her nail technician (to be pc) was preparing her station, i heard the grumpy slob ask if she (the nail technician) knew what a scarab was. the answer was no, and she proceeded to explain the general history of the scarab and pulled out a little box. she told the nail technician that scarabs were tokens of good luck, and meant to bring their owners long life and happiness.


she pulled out a little box, and though i couldn't see its contents, i have to assume that there was a representation of some sort of a scarab. the nail technician complimented the token, and i lost track of the conversation for a moment while i checked my proximity to the safe zone. when i returned to eavesdropping, the nail technician was handing the box back to the woman, who then said 'no, that's for you. i brought it for you.'

now at this point i'm thinking, wow, that was a really nice gesture. this grumpy looking woman apparently has a big heart, bringing her favorite asian nail lady a little gift like that. then it became clear that this was not her 'favorite asian nail lady,' but rather the one who happened to be available when she walked through the door.

i was instantly shamed by my judgement and grateful for my eavesdropping. i don't remember the last time i witnessed a truly random act of kindness, and it served as a reminder to me that those little thoughtful gestures have the power to change days and create smiles. not to mention that random acts of kindness have the power to affect more than just the recipients. you never know when there will be someone listening in on your conversation who might might be deeply impacted by your example.