Magic

Wednesday, August 26, 2009.

Three Hundred Dollar haircuts, Big Sunglasses and Blackberries.

Can you guess where I am?

This detail will only help Austinites. The location is on Congress. It is just south of the bridge. It is on the same side of the street as the main plant for the Austin American-Statesman. The front windows face the giant, spinning bat that is located at the corner of Barton Springs and Congress.

The name of the radio station that is providing the soundtrack for this experience is “Magic.”

An ad just played that provided a website that I think every adult wishes they had when they were children as I know everyone went through it many times especially during puberty.

www.kidswithdepression.com

My seat reclines and has a control for a back massage. There are multiple speeds and settings, I choose blindly as I am uncomfortable at this time. Not with the chair, just feel a little awkward.

To my left is a mirrored wall. I look at myself in the mirror and wonder how the heck I found myself here. To my right is Bonnie; her eyes are closed as she is enjoying the soothing rhythms of the leather chair. She has much more experience and toggled to the perfect setting that she is used to. A row of these same chairs are lined to the right of Bonnie. They are empty except for an older, Latina with eyes closed. I can’t help but stay as she looks to be in a complete docile state. I watch as I now know what the Dahlia Lama looks like when he meditates and achieves enlightenment.

The bell rings and two women walk in. Their faces shimmer from the sweat pouring out of the plastic on their faces. Their hair does not move a single hair as they swiftly cross the floor and sit down. The hang glider sunglasses they wore through the door have been shifted to above the eyebrow. At a quick glance, it appeared to me that the ladies looked the exact same. With the way the sunglasses sat on their head, they looked to have four eyes. As the women sat down, they tossed their Gucci handbags on an empty seat and barked orders into their cell phone.

“I want to dance with somebody. I want to feel the heat with somebody. . .  .”

That lyric shifted my attention as the DJ from “Magic” spun to the song and it echoed through the locale like an anthem.

At that moment, I looked down and for the first time recognized the person at my feet. She was a very small and petite Asian woman. She had a medical mask on and a nail file in one hand. She was analyzing my foot and studying it like Michelangelo did with “David” or Johnny Depp playing “Edward Scisserhands.”

My location: River Spa and Nail Salon

I was getting a pedicure. It was not my first, and would not be my last. As a guy, I can only describe them as being quite nice. They are relaxing and should be received by everyone at least once.

I looked around the salon and wondered the motif behind each person getting a pedicure. I was to be in a wedding that required me to wear sandals, therefore I wanted my big foot feet to get a bit of a make over. My girlfriend was having a day of beauty before we left for the wedding. The other people looked to be regulars as they were very precise with every detail of the procedure.

I wondered why exactly I needed to make my feet more presentable. Was it because I was scared my feet would be unappealing? Was I worried that someone would not respect me because of my feet? Was it because I just enjoyed a foot massage and bath at the hands of nail specialists?

I am hoping it is the last one.

The music continued and I enjoyed my experience. I wondered why I did not do it more often. I also wondered why so many people of Asian dissent get into the nail business. Is this a correlation or just a fluke occurrence?

To take my feelings a step further I began to analyze myself and the society around me. How many of my actions are dictated simply by the pressures of society? How many things I do on a daily basis just to fit into the rules we have created? How many worries and anxieties are brought on by this pressure?

I run every morning. I enjoy running, but I think I do it more so I do not gain weight. Not to say that I am fat or that I run miles upon miles, but I think that a social pressure forces me to wake up each morning.

I spend money on clothes. I could survive in the same wardrobe that I have and be very comfortable with shorts for every outfit. But, to fit in with the society I am trying to establish myself in, requires new clothes. I spend money on shirts and pants that I borderline like, but more because it is the style that I should wear considering the group I want to belong in.

I watch movies to fit into society. I love to watch films but have been shifting the watching to films that are more relatable to the people I will be socializing with. I find myself criticizing films for reasons that I do not know, but that I remembered from a textbook as being cliché.

I do the same thing with music as stated above.

I have changed and will continue to change everyday. Everyday brings upon a new challenge that I always think is insurmountable, but somehow find a way to succeed. Within these challenges I am tested with each of my past experiences. These experiences pieced with my new knowledge allow me to ascend this life ladder that I think is in place to keep us humble.

These actions become frustrating as I sometimes lose myself. I sometimes forget that I am living for no-one else but myself. I sometimes forget that I am in control of everything that is going on. I sometimes forget that we only live one of these lives and there is nothing out there that should control it outside of your own mind. I lose my grasp on everything that I know when I get so worked up with everything that I don’t.

Moral: “Magic” plays at least one Michael Bolton song every 20 minutes. Pedicures are nice. Live for yourself; never lose yourself to social requirements.