hands

Take a look at your hands. At all your fingers.

Do they look well polished and pretty?

What about your nails...are they neat or are they neglected?

Perhaps one is black and swollen, from a hammer blow,

or they're all grubby from the garden?

Do you wear a lot of jewelry? 

Besides assisting us with many of the tasks we accomplish in a day (think about it!), our 10 digit wonders also provide a bit of insight into our personalities and life story. They have the potential to give signs into a persons line of work, hobbies, age range, health, and even their income.

My hands don't say TOO much about me (yet)... 

They look like hands that belong to a 20-40 year old. Currently, they are relatively clean, but can be typically seen with traces of paint, and dirt.  My fingers are short, as are my nails. However the cuticles cropping up in-between are overgrown and neglected. 

One could surmise the following:

a) I bite my nails -so therefore I must have a tendency to get nervous.

b) Getting manicures or fake nails are not high on my priority list-so therefore I am either low maintenance, or find extra trips to the spa a luxury (i.e. too expensive!).

c) My fingers aren't long and thin, and my nails aren't maintained- so therefore I am NOT a hand model, or a receptionist...in other words, my day job doesn't require pretty hands.

d) My wedding ring is lovely, but not flashy or expensive looking-so therefore my husband and I live a fairly modest life.
e) They are typically rough-so therefore, I probably don't bother with gloves when I wash dishes or work outside.

What do these hands say to you?

-old?

-female?

-resting.....waiting?

-tired?

-useless?
-ugly?

Elderly hands have incredible stories to tell. At a glance they look weathered and beaten. 

Forgotten.

But over the years they became worn and frail for a reason. 

When I see hands like in the picture, I could surmise that they:

-held many babies 

-buried many babies

-cooked many meals

-baked many loaves of bread

-soothed many foreheads

-knit many sweaters, socks, mittens, hats, blankets

-washed and swept many floors

-spanked many behinds (?)

-caught many chickens

-set many tables

-changed many diapers

-washed many clothes

-gave many hugs

-combed many heads of hair

-milked many cows

-buttoned many buttons

-planted many gardens

-pulled many weeds

-pulled many chicken feathers

-nursed many sick children

-made many beds

-hauled many pails of water

-washed many dishes

-ironed many shirts

-canned many preserves

-hung many lines of laundry

-wiped away many tears

From running a busy household (or business), to giving and showing affection; those rough, aging hands have no doubt, worked hard. Perhaps they provided shelter for an outcast, or maybe they were constantly wrung from anxiety and uncertainty. But for me, whatever the story may be (full of joy or of sorrow), a pair of elderly hands are beautiful.
They have lasted and endeared, and must be admired.