In the 40 some years of my life,
I have had the privilege of starting some pretty amazing new beginnings;
Marriage,
Becoming a mother,
Starting a new job,
Owning our first home,
Starting our own business,
The list could go on & on. With each new beginning I can remember being so excited the excitement would almost make me happy/sick. You know the kind that just makes your face hurt from smiling so much…with just the thoughts of what was to come with each new adventure, beside myself with joy and anticipation.
Newly married and ready to start our lives together, my 19-year-old self was ready to face the world and conquer anything in our way. Getting out of hair school and so excited to start at a real hair salon was one of those ecstatic, excited memory moments.
Privileged enough to be hired by the famous Mary Rouse, she definitely was a legend in our small town, she had created one of the busiest salons around and I was so blessed she took a chance on me. The atmosphere in our little salon was contagious when you walked in, even now years later walking in a salon I love just the smell. It’s like walking into memory lane for me…it takes me back to those sweet years with the “wicker house” crew, some of my greatest memories. There is something about taking a head of hair and creating what your clients love… and them walking out with “holy confidence” made my heart happy happy. Even after all these years.
I have long since hung up my scissors (only a select few pull me out of retirement). I guess once a hair dresser always a hair dresser,
Fully knowing God has a sense of humor, taking me from the beauty business to the waste sanitation business working along side my husband, what a change. He definitely works in mysterious ways…
Starting right out of hair school, Mary started me out at the shampoo bowl to get my hands wet (literally) figuring out really quick every great “hair dresser” has started out as an amazing shampoo girl ❤️ We always had the sweetest ladies that came in on Friday mornings, always at the same time… never ever late…and if they were you had better send out a search party. These ladies were the ones that would tip you a dollar to scrub a little harder, they were the ones that would forge the creeks or mountains of snow to come get the “hair-do” for the week, lots of them had the “blue rinse” yes I’m taking it way back ◀️ Most had 10 to 20 hairs but by the time they left their hair looked like an art work that was created just for them. And believe me, you had better not light a match around their head from all the hairspray but they would look like queens with their hair all done up. Loving on them was the best feeling, you better be ready for the same experience every Friday,
I can remember Mary telling me “this is your bread and butter” when you can take care of these sweet jewels you’ll make it!!! So, excited and ready to start my new adventure I jumped right in, working one client at a time about half way through the day, already gotten some ladies with success & they had bragged that was the best shampoo ever, knowing when I got a wink from Mary this was going to be “a-ok”. I was getting pretty confident in myself when the wheels almost fell off,
Starting on another sweet lady for one of the other stylists, caped my little lady up making sure to keep her dry and secure, leaned her back and started with the whole shampoo experience, chit-chatting with her, learning a little more about her. This was my first meeting so I definitely wanted to know all about her and just giving her all the shampoo love, wanting this to be the best shampoo she ever had.
So finishing first shampoo, rinse and was about to start to lather her 2nd shampoo, when I looked down at my sweet customer to my worst nightmare…
she was missing something-her right eyebrow…vanished, gone…. What had I done? My sweet little lady had no eyebrow, one yes, but the left one was completely gone! In shock, and at that point my body went into break-out sweat mode, truly panicked and looking frantically in the sink, (like I was going to find a press-on eyebrow). I guess I was hoping for a miracle at this point, trying to pull myself together. I remember mumbling something to the little client that I was trying something new & was gonna give her a complimentary treatment for her hair, and that she can just rest in the shampoo bowl. At the same time motioning for my co-worker to meet me in the back so that we could devise a plan for operation eyebrow transplant
Getting to the break room, tears in my eyes, confessing to the stylist that I had removed her client’s eyebrow-not both-just one (was hoping that would make for less yelling at me) and that something must be in the shampoo that no one told me about that took just her eyebrow off 😳 Guess I was thinking the shampoo wouldn’t take it off her head but it would remove her one eyebrow??? What was I thinking?…I wasn’t thinking I just wanted to fix it pronto!
She started laughing, like laughing-till-you-cry-type of laughing. Confused I was like “I’m going to lose my job and you’re laughing”. I was in full panic mode, just wanted the floor to open up & swallow me whole, why and how does this happen to me?
Slowly she started telling me that everything would be fine… FINE “you have a client with no eyebrow…” explaining to me that she would fix it and that every Friday she got to draw a fresh new eyebrow on for her sweet client. WOW WOW WOW That day I learned that no matter the situation, there is a silver lining, or better yet makeup art, and a good eyebrow liner…
We can be on the biggest high of our lives, the greatest run, and we may feel the wheels fall off. Or we hit a big pothole or for my instance, we lose an eyebrow, but remember there is always a way to fix your circumstances -always- Never feel like you’re stuck or in a position you can’t manage, always look up Child: that day I was blessed to “look up”
There are things that even go on in my life now where I’ll break out in that sweat…but I always seem to remember my little eyebrow lesson, funny as it may be now I looked up, if I had not looked up and asked for help, I would have just crumbled and wanted to quit, nope I’m going to look up…
Long story short-the sweet lady had some scarring on that eyebrow that caused no hair to grow, which in the end made for a huge laugh out of everyone including my little client (who was in on the whole joke “on the new hairdresser”) and with that day I made my initiation into the world of hair business…
,Ol’ sweet ones whether you have one eyebrow or two, just look to your next adventure as the most exciting yet to come and just remember
carry a good eyebrow 🖊 pencil with you… let your excitement for life lead you to your dreams, let your dreams lead you to your calling, let your calling be your guide, let your guide be Jesus… JUST LOOK UP SWEET ONES
Laurn Daigle – Look up my Child
Where are You now
When darkness seems to win?
Where are You now
When the world is crumbling? Oh I, I-I-I, I hear You say
I hear You say Look up child, ayy
Look up child, ayy Where are You now (where are You?)
When all I feel is doubt?
Oh, where are You now
When I can’t figure it out? Oh I, I-I-I, I hear You say
I hear You say Look up child, ayy
Look up child, ayy
Look up child, ayy
Look up child, ayy
Look up You’re not threatened by the war
You’re not shaken by the storm
I know You’re in control
Even in our suffering
Even when it can’t be seen
I know You’re in control Oh I, I-I-I, I hear You say
I hear You say Look up child, ayy
Look up child, ayy
Look up child,
