Hey there, y’all! Let’s gab a bit about this gal, Flo Jo. You know, the one with them fancy fingernails? Yeah, her. Fastest woman alive, they say. Faster than a chicken with its head cut off, I tell ya.
Now, I ain’t no track star, but I seen Flo Jo on that there TV box. And let me tell you, she was somethin’ else. Zoomin’ like a rocket, she was. But it wasn’t just the runnin’ that got folks talkin’. It was them fingernails, too.
Long as my arm, they were, or so it seemed. And painted all sorts of colors! Red, blue, green, you name it. Sometimes even with pictures on ’em! Can you believe it? I can barely keep my own nails clean, let alone paint ’em like that.
Folks called her Flo Jo, short for Florence Griffith Joyner. Sounded like a fancy name to me. But she was just a regular gal, I reckon, just with a whole lotta speed and some mighty long nails. She won all sorts of medals, gold ones mostly. Ran faster than anyone, man or woman, for a while there.
- She ran like the wind, they said.
- And those nails, well, they were just part of her. Part of her style.
- Made her stand out, you know?
Now, some folks said them nails slowed her down. Said they were too heavy, or caught the wind. But Flo Jo, she didn’t listen to them naysayers. She just kept on runnin’, and winnin’. And those nails, they just kept on gettin’ longer and fancier.
She trained hard, that Flo Jo. Harder than a mule workin’ in the fields, I’d say. Folks said she’d do a thousand sit-ups a day! Can you imagine? I can barely get out of my chair without groanin’. But that’s what it takes to be the best, I guess.
She was somethin’ special, that Flo Jo. A real inspiration, even to an old woman like me. Showed the world that you could be strong and fast and still be yourself. Even if yourself included some mighty long and colorful fingernails.
Sadly, she passed away young. Too young, if you ask me. Somethin’ about a seizure, they said. Broke my heart, it did. The world lost a good one that day. But her memory lives on. And them fingernails, well, they’ll always be a part of that memory.
Makes you think, don’t it? About how we remember folks. Sometimes it’s the big things, like winnin’ gold medals. But sometimes it’s the little things, like long, painted nails. Things that make ’em unique. Things that make ’em shine.
She not only ran fast, real fast you hear, but she also made other young folks feel good about how they look. She said dress how you want to dress and look how you want to look. She encouraged young people to be themselves. It reminds me of my grandbaby, always wanting to wear them bright clothes and crazy hats. And you know what? I say, go for it! Life’s too short to be plain and boring.
So, next time you see someone doin’ things a little different, remember Flo Jo. Remember them fingernails. And remember that it’s okay to be yourself, even if yourself is a little bit…extra. You hear? And that’s all I got to say about that. It is important that you remember this good woman and how she ran, and how she dressed because it made her happy. Being happy is what matters most. And them fingernails sure made her happy.
Anyway that’s the story of Flo Jo and them finger nails, she was something else alright and don’t you forget it.
