I've often seen people with nails cringe slightly from how short my nails used to be. They would say 'don't they HURT'. But they didn't (unless I'd been giving them a really very hard time). They seemed to think that the skin near the tip of your finger is really very sensitive and that it must hurt and feel really very vulnerable to have it exposed.

Now 5 of my nails are quite long. And I feel quite vulnerable. When the nail grows past the tip of your finger the tip of your finger becomes really very sensitive. And the nails are pretty sensitive too (I guess because pressure is conveyed right up the nail to under the cuticle). I'm really very aware that it would hurt if one were to get pulled or caught or broken. And really... It wouldn't be so hard for any of that to happen.

People used to have claws. Like birds and dogs. Eventually claws evolved into nails. Nails give us greater hand mobility. Longer nails give you a whole heap less hand mobility too. It is harder to type now. My laptop has very shallow keys on the keyboard and the nails slide around a little while I'm typing and kind of catch under the keys sometimes. One has to hit the elevator with ones finger joint instead of using the tip of ones finger. One has a bit of trouble with zippers and the like.

Vulnerable.

I feel similarly about my weight too. You would think that being all blobby would make one feel more vulnerable. Nope. Being slimmer feels more vulnerable. If I don't load my body up with carbs I'm a whole heap more emotionally reactive.

Ugh.

I wish I could live on the internet
I wish I didn't have to have a body
Embodiment
Ugh
And why did the hell did I have to be associated with this one?