Several years ago I walked into a local hair salon suggested on social media, inquired if they took walk-ins, and asked for someone to cut off all of the hair I’d been talked into growing out. I couldn’t take it anymore. Having overheard me, a lovely hair dresser full of spice and feist stepped up and began rubbing her hands together, laughing and saying, “Let me at it!” About an hour later, I left with the cutest short haircut I’d ever had. Once every five to six weeks, I still leave with a cute haircut, feeling pretty and pampered, and always looking forward to my next appointment!
Lisa knows the names of my children and my grandchildren, their silly antics, and several fun stories. Each month she humors me while I show her pictures and we laugh as I replay videos of them. We talk about her man Jerry, her grandchildren, and she brings me home made relish from her kitchen. We talk about COVID, about relationships, families, our pasts, and our futures!
And it’s not uncommon for others at the salon to jump in to each other’s conversations. At every station there are women getting pampered, and our discussions range from home and work, to crying with a customer who just lost her son, giving advice to another who is caring for her aging parents, or helping an elderly woman get her coat on and use her walker to make it out the door because her ride has arrived. We range in age from teenager to the wise old 90’s – all women, and we need each other – all of us.
We need each other to talk about the things that women used to talk about back in our childhood years when Moms stayed home and hung clothes on the clothesline outside, and talked over fences about raising children, about in-laws, recipes, menopause, marriage, and just life in general. We need each other not only to make sure our brows are perfect, but to share recipes and share wisdom between generations about how to budget money, about how to keep healthy boundaries, or just to share a cry and give a good long hug, and some encouragement. Sometimes, we just need each other to be quiet and listen.
Oh, I get way, way more than a good hair cut (and color too, but don’t tell anyone), when I go to Mirror Mirror. I get fellowship, good hard belly laughs, a story (or 4), some nuggets of wisdom, and we’ve even been known to shed a few tears. We’ve been through births and deaths. Lisa’s not just a good hair dressor – she’s my friend. And we’ve been known to solve a few world problems over a hair cut and an eyebrow wax.
Speaking of which…. Hey Lisa, I need an appointment – and it may or may not be because I need a haircut.
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