My hairdresser got pregnant and left town. Major catastrophe. I shoud be delighted for her and all that, but I can't help feeling just a bit deserted and let down. How inconsiderate of her- my ego is sulking.
I laugh at myself writing that, because for most of my life I have really not been too bothered. I have had long brown hair which I have been happy with. Full stop. Once in the eighties I permed it and wore huge glasses. I hide those photos very safely away from everyone! Then in the nineties after a 10-day silent meditation course in Jaipur, I went to an Indian barber and had myself liberated of most of my hair as a symbol of that watershed experience. Oh, and in the previous decade it was the day my ex-husband left; the first thing I did was go to the local Lebanese barber. I had never believed the story of girls changing their hair after a break-up, but there I was, the stereo-type broken-hearted, bawling my eyes out in this really shady looking dive in the local Arab mall.
Well, this time it is far simpler. I am going grey- my friend calls it stress-highlights- at an alarming rate and am determined to look young and luscious for as long as is possible. As a matter of fact, I am determined to look desirable and luscious at 80! But that is another story. One would think that getting someone to do a simple cut and slap a bit of color on your head is simple, but, nooooo....far from it....... I have been recommended this salon, and that stylist, and every time I come away just not quite satisfied.
So I made it a matter of prayer. You would not usually think about bothering the Almighty with a matter of this miniscule caliber, but I was desperate! I was talking to Claire last week saying, "A girl just can't go around with manky hair!" It is impossible to feel good with shitty hair, no matter how much yoga or meditation you do. Claire has fantastic hair, and she told me about her lovely hairdresser, South African. Three days later one of my colleagues recommended the same girl. Clearly a sign!
Needless to say, it all worked out well, and I am sitting in front of my computer tonight with a decent hairstyle. Huge sigh and huge gratitude! The hairdresser is a girl is her late twenties, who left SA a couple of years ago. She reminded me much of myself when I got on an airplane to Taipei with a one-way ticket, 50 dollars and no job. Her opening line today was, "So, Stefani, what's your story?'' How astute of her to introduce my favourite topic in the first 5 seconds :) We did no beating around the bush; she told me about how much she had changed and how challenging it was to leave everything behind. She also said that she was not very good at planning her life, and that she was trying to do that.
It suddenly occurred to me to tell her that I have never planned my life. Life generally doesn't work too well when one plans things out too much. I am thinking of the old saying, ''you make your plans and the devil laughs''. I would have missed a lot of life's magic and surprises had I been following a plan. The key to living a good life is allowing for a good dollop of spontaneity. I said that from my experience planning is not recommended, but dreaming is. Dreaming BIG and vivid.
Planning creates expectations, and one easily sets yourself up for disappointment. Dreaming opens your eyes to all possibly doors, and inspires you to do extraordinary things, leaping out of the box. There are, after all, myriads more possibilities that we can ever imagine.
When I was at university in Stellenbosch, there was a song we used to dance to, "One night in Bangkok". I used to dance and dream about visiting that place, it was the most exotic place I could imagine, and it really was a crazy dream at the time. I was a poor student, sitting on the tip of Africa, with no means of bringing that wish to fruition. My mother never left South Africa in her life time. Yet, ten years later, I was touching down in Bangkok, realising that the world is my oyster and that without my crazy dreams, I would never have had a dream come true.
So, as we know thoughts become things. I can recommend breaking a few of your usual thought patterns and letting your imagintion soar. Amen.
I laugh at myself writing that, because for most of my life I have really not been too bothered. I have had long brown hair which I have been happy with. Full stop. Once in the eighties I permed it and wore huge glasses. I hide those photos very safely away from everyone! Then in the nineties after a 10-day silent meditation course in Jaipur, I went to an Indian barber and had myself liberated of most of my hair as a symbol of that watershed experience. Oh, and in the previous decade it was the day my ex-husband left; the first thing I did was go to the local Lebanese barber. I had never believed the story of girls changing their hair after a break-up, but there I was, the stereo-type broken-hearted, bawling my eyes out in this really shady looking dive in the local Arab mall.
Well, this time it is far simpler. I am going grey- my friend calls it stress-highlights- at an alarming rate and am determined to look young and luscious for as long as is possible. As a matter of fact, I am determined to look desirable and luscious at 80! But that is another story. One would think that getting someone to do a simple cut and slap a bit of color on your head is simple, but, nooooo....far from it....... I have been recommended this salon, and that stylist, and every time I come away just not quite satisfied.
So I made it a matter of prayer. You would not usually think about bothering the Almighty with a matter of this miniscule caliber, but I was desperate! I was talking to Claire last week saying, "A girl just can't go around with manky hair!" It is impossible to feel good with shitty hair, no matter how much yoga or meditation you do. Claire has fantastic hair, and she told me about her lovely hairdresser, South African. Three days later one of my colleagues recommended the same girl. Clearly a sign!
Needless to say, it all worked out well, and I am sitting in front of my computer tonight with a decent hairstyle. Huge sigh and huge gratitude! The hairdresser is a girl is her late twenties, who left SA a couple of years ago. She reminded me much of myself when I got on an airplane to Taipei with a one-way ticket, 50 dollars and no job. Her opening line today was, "So, Stefani, what's your story?'' How astute of her to introduce my favourite topic in the first 5 seconds :) We did no beating around the bush; she told me about how much she had changed and how challenging it was to leave everything behind. She also said that she was not very good at planning her life, and that she was trying to do that.
It suddenly occurred to me to tell her that I have never planned my life. Life generally doesn't work too well when one plans things out too much. I am thinking of the old saying, ''you make your plans and the devil laughs''. I would have missed a lot of life's magic and surprises had I been following a plan. The key to living a good life is allowing for a good dollop of spontaneity. I said that from my experience planning is not recommended, but dreaming is. Dreaming BIG and vivid.
Planning creates expectations, and one easily sets yourself up for disappointment. Dreaming opens your eyes to all possibly doors, and inspires you to do extraordinary things, leaping out of the box. There are, after all, myriads more possibilities that we can ever imagine.
When I was at university in Stellenbosch, there was a song we used to dance to, "One night in Bangkok". I used to dance and dream about visiting that place, it was the most exotic place I could imagine, and it really was a crazy dream at the time. I was a poor student, sitting on the tip of Africa, with no means of bringing that wish to fruition. My mother never left South Africa in her life time. Yet, ten years later, I was touching down in Bangkok, realising that the world is my oyster and that without my crazy dreams, I would never have had a dream come true.
So, as we know thoughts become things. I can recommend breaking a few of your usual thought patterns and letting your imagintion soar. Amen.
Yeah - I rembember that song so well, same happens and me also made it to Bangkok (as you well know haha - never forget us meeting at Kaosan... ) Big hugs and thanks for bringing back that memory. muax
ReplyDeleteIts a great pleasure, my friend of the Rose.That time in KS Rd was crazy and unforgettable!
ReplyDeleteand within a planned life , you can have no real "aurasome" surprises come and hit you on your head at a moments notice... my excuse for manky hair days LOL... been hit on the head by my "aurasome" universe, or the little people are having a party in my head .
ReplyDelete