Snow Day

I have come to realize that life is extremely busy. My days are typically structured, and vary little in activities. I get up for work in the mornings, methodically eat a bowl of cereal, pour too much cream in my coffee, get dressed, and go to work. Even my job is thoroughly predictable. I give 5-9 pedicures everyday to all different types of women. Some of them fascinate me, others frustrate me, but all of them make me think. Often I like to pretend that every woman that I spend an hour with in my day is a possible projection of myself 40 years down the road. I sit and scrub their feet as they talk to me about their opinions on a gamut of topics: The oil spill, adoption, the war, Angelina Jolie's lips, and my favorite, the choices they have made in life. Although I have yet to understand why, many of these women consistently tell reasonably private information, many times bordering on a form of confession.

They tell their stories of multiple marriages, travels, mistakes and success, and relationships. Their voices gradually take on a narrative feel as they regurgitate the composition of their life. It is shocking to me still, how a large number of these women end their stories in a peculiarly uniform way. It is summed up in almost always the same exact sentences. They will stop talking abruptly, stare blankly, and say: "funny, it seems like all of that was just yesterday. It's Lex, right? Well Lex, enjoy this time because it'll be over before ya know it." After this, I smile, ask if they would like some quick dry oil, wish them a great day, and help gather their belongings. On my less cynical days, these precious interactions make me aware of the rapid rate at which life drives, and how it pulls us all along with it.

Today, mother nature has forced me to slow down and change my daily regimen. I slept late, ate homemade muffins, poured the perfect amount of cream in my coffee, piled on pounds of clothing, and went for a walk in an absolute snow storm with my mom, sister, and two dogs. I am now sipping a cup of hot tea. If we allow it to be, life can be astoundingly simple.