Calling All Whimsy Suggestions

Whimsy isn't a word I associate with caregiving, and I doubt if anyone else does either; yet I did something very whimsical the other day, and I'm really glad I did. It made me feel great.

I had a design painted on my big toes. I usually get a pedicure every six weeks or so, but this is different. I now have flowers on my toes, bright yellow ones, with a dab of white and black for emphasis. They sit on a muted dark rosy background. They are out there for all to see when I wear sandals -- which I do most of the time now.

Every time I look at my feet now I smile. The flowers on my toes make me realize that there is -- there needs to be -- a lighter side of life. It can't be all about caregiving difficulties, trying to keep up at work, paying bills.

There has to be something more, something you hang on to, something that makes you smile. We definitely need some whimsy in our lives.

I'm not sure what made me ask for the designs. I'd seen an article in the paper a couple of weeks ago with pictures of all kinds of toe designs. Maybe that was it. Maybe it was that I was actually feeling relaxed that particular Saturday afternoon; a rare occurrence. Who knows why I did it. The point is I did and it has made a difference in my life.

How can such a silly little thing make a big difference? I think it is the smile factor and the fact that IT IS a silly little thing. And we so rarely do them.

Life is hard. Caregiving is hard and it also seems so much harder right now with what's going on in the mortgage crisis and the price of gas and food going up. Life is scary now.

So what are you going to do to lighten it up? What am I going to do to lighten up -- after the designs on my toes are washed away?  I'm not known for my lightness, rather just the opposite. It needs to be easy to do and not very expensive but have a lasting whimsy effect? I'm open to suggestions - just send them my way!