Do you like to be surprised (in a good way)?

OMG, the numbers of birthday wishes I received last week were amazing, and totally unexpected!  I still have a big, wide smile on my face.  It’s the only time I can say “big” and “wide” in the same sentence and it’s a good thing!

People have been asking me what nail color I decided to live like for my b’day.  (Funny, how did they guess that I’d treat myself to a manicure and pedicure that day?)

“Happy Birthday” is ok, but didn’t have the zing I wanted.  Accurate but didn’t make me smile.  The number I turned is a bit of a milestone so I wanted to come up with something unique.  I kept thinking and thinking…and thinking some more.

Then it hit me!  When I started saying the name some gals laughed, some were surprised, and some rolled their eyes.

To celebrate my birthday I’m living like the nail color Halfway to 90! 

Yep, I just turned 45 years old - or young since I intend to live to at least 90.  Which to me is the GOOD NEWS!  The only reason to get depressed about getting older is because you’re not happy with how you’ve spent the years you’ve racked up.

And I went rad, baby!   I tried a totally different color for me, a deep purple by Essie (that has a sticker on it that says Sexy Divide which I promptly ignored!).

Have I made mistakes in my journey to Halfway to 90? (For sure, got married to the wrong person.  Taught me a ton.)  Been disappointed? (Definitely, can you say glass ceiling?) Felt frustrated? (Just like every entrepreneur, parent, and human being.)

Had any major regrets? Uhhhhh…no, actually.  Notice I said “major.”  I made a promise to myself in college to live without regrets.  At 90 years old I wanted to look back and not have any regrets that I tried something or went in a direction that beckoned me, regardless of the outcome.  Oh, it’s been scary at times, really scary.  Ditching an engineering degree without a Plan B, being the first one in my family to get divorced, and leaving a successful AOL career to venture into the unknown.

But, here’s the thing that just makes me laugh as I live like Halfway to 90:  I NEVER in my WILDEST DREAMS would have guessed that just before turning 45 this Tom Boy with an engineering degree would have a written an Amazon bestselling book in Beauty & Fashion!  I mean seriously, the joke is on me that I went from math to manicures!

To celebrate Halfway to 90 I’ve decided to give away my book Live Like Your Nail Color, Even If You Have Naked Nails!  That’s right, give it away!  In small, bite-sized chunks.  A couple of times a week.  Because let’s face it, that’s about all you can fit in to your already swamped schedule.  (And because otherwise my publisher will be all over me!)

The book bites will be posted here so you can read previous sections any time.  Everyone on my mailing list will also get it delivered to their e-mail box. 

Here’s the first installment (call it a mini book bite!): 

Live Like Your Nail Color, Even If You Have Naked Nails: 

 Discovering Sanity, Confidence, and Fun at the Tips of Your Fingers or Toes!

By Mary Foley

This book is dedicated to every woman who has ever wanted more sanity, confidence, and fun in her life.  May she always find the perfect nail color with an inspiring name when she needs it.