Humble Hollow

Last week I arrived at the hairdresser ten minutes early, eager to get my first haircut in months. I’d scheduled my appointment three days prior–last minute, but not unheard of at the chain store I always go to simply because it’s cheap. I walked up to the front desk and was greeted by one of two stylists who were working that day. I told them I had an appointment at 5:00PM and was met with a blank stare.

“You’re sure?” they asked.

“Yes of course,” I said. “It’s with John or something.”

Turns out, the receptionist had booked me for the wrong day. And John–who was actually named Joe–had someone else coming in.

I stood quietly, unsure of what to say, trying not to let my face convey how disappointed I was.

“If you want I can shampoo you and you can sit beneath the dryer while I do the highlights on my appointment?” offered Joe.

I agreed and before I knew it I was sitting beneath the gloriously warm dome of the hairdryer, reading about gardening in Martha Stuart Magazine. It was a moment of pure bliss, reading while receiving what felt like a warm hug around my head.

It occurred to me how differently this evening might have gone. I might have stormed off and spent the whole week frustrated by the salon’s error. I might have sat under that hairdryer fuming; that should be ME in the chair being taken care of. I have better things to do than sit here!

But I didn’t. 

The universe has been telling me to slow down and I haven’t been listening. I busted my butt renovating my house, only to catch a wicked cold preventing me from doing anything for over a week. Before that, I injured my back. 

Now, just when my anxiety towards the move and the fact that every-weekend-is-already-booked-in-April-and-part-of-may is at an all-time high, the universe was telling me to slow down again. There was no need to rush through this appointment. There was no need to get upset. Sometimes, when life hands you an opportunity to be mindful or to relax, you have to take it and relish it for all that it can be.

I still smile thinking of that ten-or was it twenty?-glorious minutes under the hairdryer. It was just what I needed, even though I didn’t know it. And friends, as a further reward for listening to the universe, it is one of the best haircuts I’ve gotten in a long time.