What I Do

I hold hands with strangers all day. Isnt that funny? They walk in, sit down, give me their hands and confide in me. I am a manicurist. It amazes me that people who may not even like to get too close to other people will put themselves in that position. But they do. They tell me about their husbands, their boyfriends (or both), their children, their jobs. I hear about the time they wrecked their car, or how they steal cable. I know what size jeans they wear. And unless ive known them for years, they can barely remember my name. But i nod and smile and scrape yesterdays dinner (i hope) out from under their nails. This is what i gave up music for. Like i said. Smarter about somethings. Dumber about others.


It is somehow comforting, though, to have formed relationships with so many different people. In nearly 30 years, there have been hundreds. Ive laughed with all of them, cried with some of them, been to their weddings, their funerals...Ive even done a clients nails in the funeral home before her funeral. It was one of the hardest things Ive ever done. Some have bought me groceries when I was going through a hard time. They cheered me through the death of my Dad, they giggled with me during the blossoming of my relationship with Juergen. If he and I should someday get married, many of them will be at our wedding.

What sort of bonds would I have formed if I'd stayed in Nashville? Probably none as strong as, or stronger than, these.

Maybe I'm not so dumb after all.