Mani/Pedi Cure for the Soul

Posted by Cynical Sarah on May 14, 2007

There have been many, many times – so many its unbelievable – when I’ve heard stories or had things happen that left me saying “I hate people,” or “People suck.” How many times have we all had to deal with crappy bosses, or unfair situations or cashiers in stores that have no clue what they’re doing?

This may sound a little pretentious, but it can be a little disheartening at times to feel like you’re one of a very small part of the world’s population that’s actually trying to be a decent human being and treat people right. Some days it seems like it would be so easy to give in and live just as selfishly and save myself a lot of stress.

Then there are days when I meet someone who renews my faith that maybe the world isn’t going completely into the crapper.

On Sunday I headed to the mall to indulge in a little selfish activity – I got a manicure and pedicure so I’d have pretty toes and fingernails for my upcoming trip to Cozumel (an even bigger selfish activity). That is where I met Dawn, a woman who has quite a few reasons to be bitter and cynical about the world.

While she jabbed at the cuticles on my toenails and did her best to make my little stubby toes look cute, she did the obligatory question asking to make conversation. We actually ended up having quite an interesting chat, and she told me a bit about her life.

We got on the topic of the immigration process since I’m an American living here in Canada. She had actually just decided against trying to sponsor her boyfriend.

There she was, six months pregnant, rubbing my feet (which I must say, as good as it feels, you pretty much feel like a complete jerk when it’s a pregnant woman doing it) and telling me how she decided the stress of having a baby was more than enough and adding on trying to get her boyfriend into the country was just more stress she didn’t need.

The amazing part was that she was really very sensible about the whole situation, and she didn’t give any indication about being bitter about the situation except to say she definitely knows to be more careful now.

While many single pregnant women would probably be panicking about the situation, Dawn already had a plan set out to make a life for her baby. She was getting help raising her child from her foster parents. She’d been pretty much raised by them and considered them her parents.

They were actually going to adopt the baby even though she would remain its mother and they would be its Nana and Poppy. It was an arrangement that would allow them to help her take care of the baby when she returns to working on the cruise ship again without her having to worry about her biological parents trying to take the baby when she’s away or if something were to happen to her.

She described her biological family as “not good people,” and one of the main concerns for her child’s wellbeing was making sure they would have no part in his or her life.

Without going into great detail while she talked, Dawn inadvertently revealed there was a much deeper, sadder background to her life to go along with the stress she was now facing with her impending single motherhood. If anyone deserved to be cynical and bitter about the world, it was her, and yet, I got the sense she still had faith in the world and was optimistic about where life would take her.

It was definitely a lesson in appreciating the life you have. I may be frustrated by the so called “customer service” at the local hardware store, but if that’s the worst of my problems, I’ve got it easy. People may suck, but I don’t have to let that fact make my life miserable.

- Sarah L. Polson

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