I spoke at a Young Alum conference at Mount Holyoke when I was a young alum now. One of the panelists offered us a memorable self-care quiz:

“Show me your hands.”

Go ahead. Look at yours right now. This is totally confidential.

Are you happy with how they look? Are your nails polished? Are they chipping, need the cuticles tamed? Clean?

Simply by looking at her friend Sue’s hands, she was able to tell if Sue was taking care of herself. This small detail speaks volumes and can be a clue as to how well we’re caring for ourselves. Others can’t see if you’re sleeping well or eating properly. But this tell-tale aspect of our public persona can be revealing.

  I’ve had ‘mani/pedi’ on my to-do list for about 10 days now. I ended up clipping my own nails and putting on a top coat of nailtiques which I use to strengthen them. I’d had a mani/pedi while in Austin at the end of last month. I’m due, but can’t seem to put myself first for the hour or more it will take. I removed the metallic gold (!) I opted for on my toes in Texas, but have left them unpolished and in need of a trim. Fortunately, it’s not sandal season here…yet.

Now that I’ve outed myself on some needed self-care, I’ll look on my calendar to see when I can squeeze me in.

How about you? Any confessions today?