If you just want to see nail pictures, scroll to the end. =)
I've had my fair share of drama in my life and try my best to stay out of it now. I've stayed far away from the issue that inspired today's anti-bullying campaign in the nail community. After giving it some thought, I decided that I wanted to support anything that had to do with standing up against bullying. It's an issue that I'm very passionate about as a former elementary school teacher and as someone who was bullied herself.
I don't like to dwell on the past so I won't go into details about my experience with bullying. I do know, from what I went through that the emotional scars left by hurtful words and actions never go away. They eventually fade but they are still there. Understanding that shaped who I was as a teacher and person. I can not stand bullying on any level. It's wrong, it's not ok, it needs to stop.
As an adult, I still feel guarded when it comes to letting new people into my life. As a little girl, I let people walk all over me. My self-esteem was in the toilet and I thought I deserved to be treated the way I was. I know differently now. Unfortunately, I've swung to the other extreme and have become hyper sensitive about how I am treated. If I feel someone is mistreating me, the walls go up and it's almost impossible for that person to gain my trust. I'm working on a happy medium, but it's hard!
When I first started this nail blog, I was really self conscious about my pictures. I'm still self conscious about them, but I'm starting to feel a little more confidant. I have shaky hands. Strangers have commented on them. Friends have commented on them. They've been shaky since High School and I don't know why. Having shaky hands makes it really hard for me to paint my nails nicely. To make it worse, I had a herniated disc in my neck that was squishing my spinal cord. The little bugger weakened my hands. As a result, I sometimes struggle with doing things with my fingers like buttoning buttons and you guessed it, painting my nails. When I first started painting my nails, it was really hard for me to control the brush. I was determined to get better. I decided if I practiced long enough, I'd develop muscle memory and improve. It's been a year, and it's not as hard to paint my nails anymore but I still struggle.
Luckily, I've only had positive comments on my blog. I'd be really bummed if someone criticized me. I'm doing the best I can with what I've got. Like everyone else, I thrive on support and positive feedback. It pisses me off when I see people mistreat others. No one knows what it's like to be someone else. Let's just be kind to each other, ok?
Here are two different purple manis. One is from when I first started this blog and the other is recent. I dedicate this post to anyone who has been bullied and to the fight to stop it.
Thanks for reading, I know it was very long today. =)
-Mira
