I Opened My 'Box of Assumptions' Just a Little Bit

I'm Mih0Chi4, a Nine Star Ki essayist.🤗

I share posts that weave together daily events and Nine Star Ki. I'd be happy if you could think, 'Hey, Ki-gaku is actually kind of interesting.'✨


Today, the theme is 'Taking a step outside of your assumptions.'👣

◾️Restarting manicures after 10 years

Just recently, I got a manicure for the first time in a while.💅
The trigger was seeing the people around me doing it.
At work, it's not a problem as long as it's not too flashy. However, I had just been assuming I couldn't because I'm raising children, I have housework to do, my hands are rough, and I don't have time to go to a salon.


That said, once you press the 'see details' button, there's no turning back; social media ads keep inviting you in.😂
When I looked into it just a little bit, I learned that there are many types available these days.

The easiest type is a nail tip, which comes pre-colored and is applied with glue.

Furthermore:
・If you warm the tip, it bends to fit the shape of your own nails
・It doesn't peel off with water, but can be easily removed with warm water
・You can easily put them on and take them off yourself・Made of materials that are less likely to cause allergies

Each of these selling points peeled away the 'I'm sure I can't' assumption that had built up over many years.

I felt like it was a bit of a luxury for me right now, but before I knew it, I had ordered a sizing kit.

I chose EVER NAIL, which are 'reusable stick-on gel nails.'

My excitement went up with my sparkly hands after so long!❣️
Even though my hands are usually rough and I don't even want to look at them, I found myself grinning alone, thinking, 'Maybe they actually look good with nail polish?!' (￣▽￣)

I'm very clumsy, so I'm not good at using nail polish.
I've never managed to paint them neatly.
Plus, after a few days, I get a feeling like my fingertips are clogged, and I struggle when taking it off, so I thought, 'If I'm going to try it, this is the one!' I spent about a week carefully selecting the design before purchasing.

The weekend it arrived, this is what I put on right away.

My child noticed the slight change right away, hehe. (o^^o)
When I told them I stuck them on my nails, they had a worried look and asked, 'Doesn't it hurt when you take them off?'
Indeed, if you imagine ripping them off by force, it sounds very painful, or rather, like torture...

When I told them, 'It's okay! If you peel them off little by little with warm water, it doesn't hurt,' they were relieved.
It was interesting to see how it looks to a child seeing it for the first time.

◾️Realizing the importance of nails in daily life

Along with my mood lifting, I realized that I had been using my nails to apply force for little things in daily life without even thinking about it.

・Opening a soda can tab
・Opening things that are tightly sealed, like Ziploc bags
・Pressing buttons on rice cookers or microwaves

The sensation felt somehow different than usual, and I remembered, 'Oh right, that's how it was when I had nails,' as memories from 10 years ago slowly came back.

And then, on the day I went shopping with my nails on, I was waiting in line at the self-checkout.
My eco-bag wasn't where I thought it was in my backpack, and when I tried to look for it, thinking it might be at the bottom...

Clack...

...Ah, ...

I reached into my backpack without thinking... and felt a chill inside.

I didn't feel like anything had come off, so I figured it was fine, hurriedly packed my purchases into an eco-bag, and headed home.

After getting home, I checked... and it was fine for now.
What a relief.

A week has passed since then.

Although I had to reattach two of them, so far they have all safely stayed on my nails while I go about my daily life.

◾️When your true feelings come to the surface, try moving within your capabilities

This incident became a good opportunity for me to re-examine my own assumptions.

If I had kept thinking, “I definitely can't do this,” I would have just kept looking at the hands of people around me, thinking how nice it would be, wishing I could do it someday, and just lamenting over my own rough hands.
But by trying to move a little, I was able to enjoy a new challenge. This is a big step for me 👣

2026 is a year where light will shine on things and feelings that were there all along but that we chose not to look at 💫

It is difficult to suddenly change assumptions like “I definitely can't do this” that have piled up over many years.
However, if we do it little by little, like peeling off a film, I'm sure it's possible ✨

By the way, the last time I went to a nail salon was 10 years ago 🫢 It was for my wedding 💒
The nail tip technology we have now probably didn't exist back then, and during the child-rearing years that followed, nails were never an option for me.

As time passes and technology advances, things we had given up on can become reality; that kind of possibility exists. If you open up feelings you had kept a lid on, you might find yourself with a different perspective or way of feeling than you had at that time.

2026 has just begun, but this was an event that made me feel once again that things I hadn't looked at yet might start to emerge little by little in this way.

This long-awaited nail life has been a great purchase that lifts my spirits 💖 If there is anyone else struggling with the same thing, I recommend it 🤗

If you are curious about what kind of year this will be, please look here

🔥The overall flow of 2026💧

💫The flow for 2026 by Nine Star Ki💫

Thank you for reading today as well 🍀