Yup! I have Happy Purple Toenails!
I say normally, because today, that was not the case. I seem to be neglecting a few of the important things lately.
Today, I realized how far out of balance things are for me right now.
If My Legs have Hair, that is not good.
If my toenails are not colored purple, that is even worse!
I just got out of the shower, and once again, The Only hair that exists is on my head. And My Toenails are once again Purple. Ahhhh, Much Better! :)
For many, this would be a surprise to find a hairless man with purple toenails. But for those who know me, these are considered normal parts of who I am. For a good portion of my teenage, and adult life, I did keep these mostly a secret. But since 2005, I have never hidden it, nor been ashamed of it. Oddly enough, I started not hiding this part of who I am at the same time as I came Out of the Naked Closet. Most people would categorize painted toenails, or a shaved body into some sort of sexuality-based thing. That would be their lack of understanding, and their own desire to make it something it is not. I fail to see the connection. There is absolutely nothing sexual about my toes, or my lack of body hair, yet for whatever strange reason, most people wish to make them sexual. Most people feel they need to fit everything someone does into a certain category for their own comfort about it. Silly people… there are no categories of any kind that fit me, and likewise there are no categories I could be fit into. If one must categorize anything I do to make themselves more comfortable, then there is only one category that could possibly be applied: That would be the Jon-Category.
It really is that simple. I was created unlike any other human on this Earth. That means plain and simple, there is not anything someone could attempt to compare, or group me with. Most of what I do is about what fits my character, personality, and makes me feel good about myself.
Oddly enough, most people would attempt to somehow link my naked lifestyle with the shaved body, and the purple toenails. This always baffles me. Why would they want them to somehow be connected? Each of these is a completely separate thing, and there really is no way to interconnect them. I guess if you really wanted to stretch it, you could go with the fact that I shave while I am naked (because it would be almost impossible to do while clothed!) I also color my toenails before I put my socks and shoes on (because it would be almost impossible to do once the socks and shoes were covering them!) So I guess, that would be the only way to connect naked to each of the other items.
Ha! After writing this, I realized they do in fact have one thing in common: They each are a great way to determine if my life is where it needs to be, or if it is somehow out of balance. If my life is in balance, I am getting plenty of quality naked time, My toenails will be purple, and I won’t have a stitch of hair anywhere on my body. If any one of these is out of sorts, then it is likely all three will also be. But those would serve only as visible means to measure the balance. Internally, there is a greater battle going on which I most likely have been fighting, and trying to sort out long before I realize I have forgotten to color my nails, or to shave.
So, that brings us to: Why do I do It?
I’ll start with the Purple toenails, since I was coloring them long before I would ever grow any body hair.
To me, toenails are a perfect item to be colored. They are just so plain, and often look like they are screaming for something to be done with them. My question is: Why would you not paint your toenails? Have you ever looked at them? You cannot do a whole lot with toes, and other than balance, they really are there for decorative purposes only. So, ya have ten little piggies sticking out looking for some way to feel important. We often cover them in socks, and shoes, and they are hidden. Then when we finally do uncover them, they do absolutely nothing to make you smile, or appreciate them. They are just there. Boring, plain, sometimes kinda ugly looking. When ya remove your shoes, do your toes give you something to smile about? Do they give you a feeling of happiness, or brighten up your world in any way? Do they look just like everyone else’s all around you? Plain, and kinda just there, without anything to feel good about? Imagine you were a toe, and you were neglected and left plain, boring and could never make someone smile? If you were that toe, you might start to develop some way to get noticed. Often toes looking for attention turn funny shapes, or colors. Now You have a toe that gets noticed, but it hardly makes ya smile. In fact you will likely hide your toes if this was happening. But imagine if you colored your toenails in a color (or many colors) that actually made you smile when you saw it. You would happily remove your shoes and socks at the end of a long day, and without even trying, you would see the colored piggy, and it would make you smile! If there were other people around, it would make them smile, too!
When did I start coloring my toes? Good question! I do not recall exactly when I started doing it, but I do recall every girl I ever knew always wanted to paint my toes while she was painting her own. Often the sisters of my friends were excited when I would come to their house, because their brothers would not allow their nails to be painted. This started as far back as I can remember when I was a little kid. I Always let them do it, too! I could never understand why most boys would run away from these girls. Are you kidding me? A Girl wants to hold your foot, and paint on your toes? Of Course the answer is yes! The foot is filled with more nerve-points, and reflex-points than anywhere else in the entire body. The foot is the gateway to almost every single organ, and part of your body. (Have you ever seen a reflexology chart?) To have someone willingly want to touch, hold, and do something that felt so wonderful, of course the answer was always yes. Then afterwards, you got the added bonus of having toes that made you smile! It did not take long before I was painting their toes, and they were painting mine. Both you, and the girl always had a good time, and went away with happy soles (pun intended). That is what friends do for one another. The part I could not understand was when other boys would see the colored toes, and attempt to make fun of me. I learned early on that boys did not appreciate girls, and they were very mean to other boys. I had a few friends who were boys, but not many. The way they acted, I was not interested in hanging out with anyone who treated others that way.
I also learned that I needed to remove the polish soon after they were painted because once they started to chip, they looked really bad. So often, my toes would be colored for only a couple days then plain for many days. When they were plain, I always looked at them as sad, lonely, plain toes. I learned early in life that color made life better. But I had not mastered the skill of doing my own toenails, so I always had to wait until someone else wanted to paint them. I always asked everyone why they did not paint their toes, and most people would come up with answers like “That’s only for little girls.” Or “It is too much trouble.” Only the friends who were girls would paint my toes. I could not get any adult to do it. I could not understand why people would limit themselves in such a way. I would say “If it makes you smile, isn’t it worth it?” But most people did not appreciate that.
A Lot changed suddenly in my life when we moved to Oregon when I was twelve. Along with everything else that was difficult, I seldom got my toenails painted. Occasionally I would, but not very often for many years. Once I moved to Medford, I started painting my own, and often other girls would paint them for me. But mostly, by this time in my life I totally hid all creative expression from most people. There were a few people who I let get to know the real me, and they appreciated the colored toenails, but it was hardly publicly visible. I always used a variety of colors, of my own choosing. Each girl had her own favorite color, and would often have a favorite color she used only on my toes. So, those who knew me well, could tell which girl had painted my toes based on the color. I always found it odd all my life that most boys were actually afraid to have their toes colored. They always claimed that they liked girls, but they would not want a girl to touch them, or even see their feet. Weird.
Once I was an adult, I often had colored toes. I did not work to hide them, but I also did not work to make them public, because of how I was treated when I was younger. Often, because I always have friends with children, most people would just assume they were colored because a child wanted to color them. I did not work hard to tell them otherwise. If that was what they needed to tell themselves to make it acceptable, ok fine. Every time I would get a new female friend, they would be pleasantly surprised to find out I knew how to paint their toes. The funniest ones were the guys whose wives I also was friends with. Most of these women (half-jokingly) called me their “Other Husband”. Their husband was always ok with this, often being the one who started the “rumor”. I had the joy of calling many wonderful women my “half-wife”, without actually having any real interaction of that sort. The guys always loved that their wife had found someone other than them who would allow their toes to be painted. I got the pleasure of having my toes done by wonderful women, and also got to tease their husband about how much they missed out on from their own wives! But since it was often the husband who initiated this set-up, it was a total win for everyone. (Well, I venture to say the husband is the one who actually lost-out… Again, I could not understand why so many men would not want a woman, especially the woman they married to touch them, but would rather watch as their own wife gave me the joy! Men are strange.) These same men would flat-out deny to anyone else that this had happened, even when their wife was right there saying it had. I always wondered what was wrong with these men, and why they were so afraid of happy toes.
By the time I left Oregon in 2005, I was fully allowing my colored toes to be visible to any and all. At some point, I switched from paint to sharpie marker. I discovered how fast and easy the Sharpie was. You could color your toenails, and two minutes later be in the sand and water. If you happened to scuff a toenail, you could just pull the sharpie out of your pack, and touch it up.
A few years ago, I tried Purple, and ya know what they say about Purple: “Once You go Purple, You Don’t Go back!”
So, for many years, My toes have been happily Purple… with an occasionally multi-color, or special-occasion color. I have proudly let my Purple toenails be visible to any and all, and Not a single person has the ability to made me feel anything but happy about who I am.
It always makes me chuckle when someone who has been in my life for a long time suddenly realizes I have colored toenails. For some odd reason, no matter how many times they saw your feet, or no matter how many photos I have posted, occasionally someone discovers the toes for the very first time. I posted this one last month, and a friend from high school, and also a former roommate noticed the coloring. What really struck me as funny was that she and her nieces had painted my toenails when we were roommates. Perhaps she had thought this was just a temporary thing, or thought I only submitted to let them have a fun time. But the funniest part, was she, and another friend both seemed surprised that they were not multi-colored.
Perhaps the reason the toenails were noticed this time was because of the setting. Normally the pictures seem fitting for bare-feet activity, and the toenails do not stand-out as much.
This photo was showing how I had to traverse the deep puddles that accumulate in Vegas when it rains. Since I was wearing rolled-up jeans, and a rain jacket, the sandals and Purple toes tend to stand-out.
I Love having Happy Purple toes, and when I neglect to keep them properly colored, that is a prime indicator of something is not quite right in my life-balance. I am working through some struggles right now. There are many things I am attempting to find peace with going on in my world.
I Knew I needed to make some fast changes for a more positive approach when I found that I had hairy legs, And Did Not have Purple Toenails. I have remedied both of these, and will seek ways to find a better balance while sorting through the troubles that seem to mire me in the muck of a not-so-positive way of life.
I have only touched briefly on the body-hair issue, and it would not be fair to leave it unexplained. There is far more to write, than I could fit into a few brief lines, so I will make the hair post a completely separate posting. (Hopefully soon....)
Meanwhile, I would love to hear about your own colorful, happy toenail adventures!
I Hope you have a wonderful, positive, and colorful day! ~=:-)
