Friday Funnies

Hairytales

She sat in my chair,her face full of misery,her body hunched over,her eyes glazed over with restrained tears.
"How are you?" I asked with a look of concern.
"Not...(tears filling up her eyes)..good." is all she could manage to say.
"Do you need to talk..or do I need to drop it? I really don't wish to upset you but I'd like to help if I can..?" is all I could think to say as I scrambled to get her a tissue.
"Kinda...maybe in a minute.." her throat was choked up with emotions.
"OK,nice and short,your usual?" I asked in an attempt to lighten the mood a bit.
She nodded yes.
"Shampoo?" I offered. She doesn't usually get a shampoo but I had a feeling that today she need the extra pampering. She agreed.
I reclined her head back into the sink as she closed her eyes yet her jaw quivered as she was still fighting back the tears. I tried not to stare at her as I waited for the water to get warm. I turned it up juuust a little warmer than usual and gently started to wet her hair. A few seconds went by and her shoulders relaxed as she muttered...
"That feels so good."
"It's not too warm?"( it was much warmer than my usual)
"Oh no,it's good." she said so quiet I could barely hear her.
I ran the hot water over her head for a bit longer than usual and I watched her face begin to relax.
I filled my hands with shampoo and gave her a scalp massage,determined to work my magic and ease her extreme tension. It worked and then I finished with a long hot rinse.
We returned back to my chair and started her haircut in hopes she talk when she was ready. A few silent and awkward minutes later I just had to ask..
" Are you OK? Is it you? The kids?.." my mind was thinking this might be something seriously horrible!
"It's Joe." (her son and father of her 6 year old Grandson whom she is VERY close to)
 
She had just come from Joe's house. He had yelled at her for "coddling" her Grandson too much and accused her of "creating a spoiled brat". I could tell you the WHOLE story about her son etc but that would take hours. So I will sum it up by saying that I know her AND her son pretty well..and well...that was a really horrible thing to say. He is a single father with no job and has relied on his mother many times. Although Joe can be very difficult and moody she tolerates it for the sake of her grandson and the ability to spend time with him. She does not coddle him or spoil him too much but she's a GRANDMOTHER,that's what GRANDMAS do! Wow,Joe had really hurt her this time.
I have to admit that part of me was relieved. For the most part she was OK but I think we all know that a broken heart feels horrible. I reminded her of my foster son David (she was our neighbor at the time) and how I knew how it felt to love a child despite their parents irrational behavior. Extremely heart wrenching. It's a horrible thing to have in common but it gave her comfort to know I was honestly sympathetic.
  She talked,I cut  and before I knew it I was ringing her out. I looked across the front desk at her and I saw it once again...the reason I love my job.
A frown turned upside down.
A mad wrinkled face returned to it's happy smooth texture.
A head of hair one inch lighter and a bit of the load lifted off of  once slouched shoulders.

"Thank you...for everything." she said with an unexpected smile as she walked out the door.

 My days are filled with moments like this and I couldn't be more grateful. It took a long time for me to see that what I do really is important to people. Perhaps I was always assuming that my value was in the paycheck. Thankfully that is not necessarily true.(ha ha) Although I currently have an abundance of loyal clients,over the years I have watched many clients come and go.I have learned not to take it too personally as there is a salon on every corner and location and convenience often trump loyalty. On the other hand,I have so many loyal clients that have become dear friends and most of the new people I meet are friendly. Those are the amazing people that fill my days with so much joy.
  A shampoo and haircut isn't rocket science but it can be the opportunity to brighten someones day,offer a shoulder to cry on,be a 3rd party to vent to,be a friend to confide in or just the opportunity to clear away a hectic day. Even the grumpy ones usually cannot resist enjoying a salon shampoo,a friendly smile and a perky new haircut.
That's good enough for me :)

" Of all the bad things in life that I cannot fix or help, I can fix and help hair!"- Me,Myself and I

Rain

Rain

by Shel Silverstein

I opened my eyes

And looked up at the rain,

And it dripped in my head

And flowed into my brain,

And all that I hear as I lie in my bed

Is the slishity-slosh of the rain in my head.

I step very softly,

I walk very slow,

I can't do a handstand--

I might overflow,

So pardon the wild crazy thing I just said--

I'm just not the same since there's rain in my head.



Happy Bubbly Surprise

I came home the other day to a wonderful surprise! Vern had set up and plugged in our new fountain! I love it!

The New Deck

Here is Vern making me a cold drink on a warm spring evening on the new deck....with mini fridge! So fancy! The deck is still a work in progress..

Easter

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter! Ours was fantastic as it felt like the fun kind of Easters we had as a kid. Please forgive the multiple blogs but my blogging app only allows one photo per blog and all the photos are on my phone...so please keep scrolling and enjoy!


Here is Maxi digging into her Easter basket.
Happy 1st Easter my beautiful furbaby!
Toys,teething bones and plastic eggs with a treat inside.
Let's see who's smart enough to figure this out.....

Easter

Here is big brother Chipper joining in on the fun.
He has the nose of a Blood Hound..
he can smell a treat from a mile away!