Toes and Fingers

My first blog of 2012 ought to be a bit light-hearted, thought I. But as I started to write this one, I realized that I know or had read about people who do not have fingers and/or toes. The two extraordinary people that I know personally who are missing either fingers or toes lead remarkable lives that make me appreciate what they do without and also appreciate what I have. Then, consider Stephen Hawking, paralyzed with Lou Gehrig’s disease or Christopher Reeve, paralyzed in a fall from a horse. You can read biographies about them – see what life is/was like with their disabilities.  Think of all the soldiers who came home from Iraq and Afghanistan or any war that have lost one or more limbs. Or consider a different case: Helen Keller, who had all her fingers and toes and needed them as sensory elements since she could not hear or see. So as you read my thoughts on my imaginings of the secret lives of fingers and toes, enjoy those body parts if you have them, and consider what life might be like without them.

As body parts go, toes lead pretty interesting lives. They live in a variety of comfortable dwellings: shoes, slippers, flip-flops, sandals, socks and stockings of all kinds. Of course if you are one of those women who like to wear high heels, your toes may not have had such an easy life. Ever see the toes of a woman who has been wearing high heels for many years? Depending on the design of the shoe, those toes look like they have been in anything from a minor fender bender to a major train wreck, all squished together, sometimes overlapping so badly it is difficult to sort one toe from another.

I wore high heels for a couple of years when I was a middle school art teacher. Some of the local boys in that school district’s farming community were huge and I needed to gain some height on them so that I had a chance to look them in the eye. This was necessary when they threatened me with their fathers. They would swagger up to me, get in my face and say: “I’m gonna have my father come see you.” This was usually said in what they thought was a menacing tone. Sometimes they really sounded menacing. These days, you might report such nonsense to the school principal. But back then, I’d look them in the eyes, as close as possible and say, sweetly, “I’d love to talk to your Dad and your Mom too if she’s available. Please have them call me and make an appointment.” This usually made them stare at me in strange ways and slink off to find someone more easily intimidated. None of their parents ever made an appointment to talk to me. Ever since those school days, I’ve happily worn flat shoes and my toes are grateful.

Recently I was walking behind a woman in very high, stiletto heels. With every step she took, she wobbled because her ankles could not support the crazy angle those shoes forced her to cope with. But it was fascinating to watch her click along, and I felt sorry for her ankles and her toes.

Ballerinas also have sad -looking toes from so many years of wearing ballet toe shoes. I wonder if ballet dancers, both males and females have foot problems in later life. They sure do give their feet intense workouts. Next time you go to a ballet, (you should go: it’s fun) watch the dancers’ feet. It is amazing what ballet dancers do on the tiny little tips of toe shoes. If the thought of attending a ballet makes you grimace, try this movie: The Turning Point with Anne Bancroft and Shirley MaClaine.

Then there was the kid I met who had spent a few years living in Hawaii where his toes were apparently naked and unshod the entire time he lived there. He could slide barefoot down a muddy, rocky hillside and never suffer the slightest pain. Yowza!

But back to the lives of more spoiled toes. Hubby and I have flannel sheets for winter sleeping and my toes ADORE getting down there at the bottom of the bed and wriggling in the warmth of flannel. Oh, what a feeling. Or consider the lovely feel of a soft pair of socks: BLISS!

Then summer comes and more fun ensues. If you have not walked around barefoot on a freshly mowed lawn, you need to do so as soon as possible. Walking on beautiful grass is a luscious feeling. Then there’s running barefoot on beach sand, either wet or dry. It can be hot or cold or very scratchy but, hey, toes like a little variety now and then. And there’s always the fun of dabbling your toes in the ocean, or going into deeper water and letting your toes hang on to the bottom for dear life, so you don’t get swept out to sea. Wheeeeee!

But let us move on to fingers. They lead very different lives from toes as they are more likely to be noticeable. Out there! I remember biting my nails for years and never a fingernail file or nail clippers did I care to bother with. Then I had a college roomie whose nails always looked perfect: perfect length, perfect color. She doesn’t know this but she inspired me to quit the nail gnawing and make friends with nail files and nail polish. Now I cannot imagine biting my nails. If you are tense and stressed for any reason, digging long nails into your palms is a great way to…well…to be tense and stressed.

Fingers do have a variety of clothing options considering all the different types of gloves. Mom would never do dishes without her trusty rubber gloves. Bare hands in dish water were just WRONG as far as she was concerned.  Hubby is a work glove connoisseur and would never be seen at any form of labor without the proper work gloves. I too have work gloves though I find them difficult to use sometimes. Some tasks require the sense of touch.

Weeding with work gloves will certainly protect your fingers, but my fingers, with a stake in the quality of the task, want to be naked as they do their stuff. For instance, I need to feel weeds when I am weeding or the weed doesn’t get pulled properly. I want to feel the soil: is it moist or dry and does it need compost. I want to gently spread the roots out to fit in the planting hole and I want to gently scoop up the worm I dug up and move him/her to a safe place. Worms are only a little gooey and fun to pick up if you can get past the worms are icky hangup. All this naked fingers work will give you dirty broken nails, scratches, pinches and pokes, but the plants are worth it.

Then there are all the finger decor options: rings. One of my favorite memories was to see what kind of rings Ringo wore. If you paid attention those rings changed all the time. And if you don’t know who Ringo is (unbelievable) go  and Google or Wikipedia him.

I think that the two toughest things I’ve ever done with my fingers are making clay pots and playing the piano. Clay can be surprisingly resistant, especially when spinning on a potters’ wheel. I remember long nights in the college pottery studio, getting a sore neck and back and fingers skinned ragged trying to make clay behave on a potters’ wheel. Hubby’s been taking pottery classes and his work is lovely and improving constantly. I am jealous.

I spent ten years taking piano lessons. That is really a finger workout. I still remember the simple first song I played with the words: “Kitty’s face is full of lumps; Daddy says she has the mumps!” But playing the piano is something I’m glad that Mom made me do – Thanks Mom! Check out my blog titled Lost Chord Lessons.

Along the years I’ve also learned to knit and crochet and paint and draw and knead bread and play the guitar and hand Hubby tools or struggle with them while he watches patiently. I can scratch and wave and smooth and cuddle and pet and twiddle my thumbs and play cat’s cradle with string and wave hello or goodbye. Bye now! (Iimagine fingers waving.) Happy New Year!

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