What hot pink press-on nails taught me about humility

We are constantly reminded that life has a way of balancing the good with the bad, the ups with the downs, and the triumphant moments with the defeated ones.

I vividly recall the time when I realized that humility is a much better option than boasting, bragging, and showing off (those being very uncomfortable and unnatural to me anyways). I was 12 years-old and we just moved to the States from Israel. My dad’s company temporarily housed us in a nice hotel until we found a home. I got to buy my very own set of hot pink press-on-nails (which we did not have in Israel at the time) and wanted to show them off. So, I took my 3-year-old little sister, and off we went to the hotel pool. Some cute boys were hanging out poolside and I thought, “I look awesome,” so what better way to impress them than to show them my amazing swimming skills and my hot pink nails (FYI, I have NO swimming skills). My little sister sat by the pool while I hopped in. As I started swimming, I noticed 10 hot pink nails floating away from me, along with my ego. I am not even sure if those boys saw it and I didn’t care because I couldn’t get out of that pool fast enough! I grabbed my sister and ran back to our room. Without my nails.

Moral of my story: don’t go swimming with press-on-nails. AND, stay humble, remember that things are just that—things, and they can be taken away from you faster than you can say “Look at me! I am awesome!!”