The Magster & I went and got our hair cut this weekend at one of those "strip mall" chain beauty shops. I can't recall the name of it, but that is not important. I try to avoid these places as much as possible. I have been known to drive from Jackson, TN down to my hometown of Andalusia, Alabama JUST for a good haircut by my good friend, Ticia, and to avoid going to a "stranger."
Well, I start my new job today, and I knew I was in DESPERATE need of a haircut, and finances just did not permit the two and a half hour trek to Andalusia to see Ticia last Friday. So, I sucked it up and Mags & I went to this salon (a term I use loosely) by WalMart. If I'm going to risk a bad haircut, I don't want to pay a lot for it, ya know?
Anyway, we go in, they greet us (so far, so good), and have us sign in. We had barely gotten sat down when Maggie was called. The lady who called us was probably close to my age, fairly decent looking, but boy did she have a chip on her shoulder. She was obviously angry about something, and didn't do a very good job of hiding her feelings. Well, folks, I don't know about you, but I can't help but be a little nervous around a pissed off stranger with a pair of scissors in her hand. You know you're probably going to get a really shitty haircut from someone who really couldn't care less whether you know she's having a really bad day or not.
So, I did all I could to put her at ease. If you know me, I am a "people pleaser" kind of person, and I smile (even if I'm mad as hell), and I'll do all I can to keep those around me happy and comfortable. Maggie is trying to talk to her - and most people are engaged by Mag pretty quickly, but not this sour puss. She wasn't having any of it. She was sarcastic sounding in her answers to Maggie, very impatient acting, and just generally did NOT want to be there doing what she was doing.
Here is where I'm going with this story. If you happen to be one of these people who work at one of these types of establishments, PLEASE take some friendly advice.
1. If you don't want to be there, find another salon in which to work. It's not the clients fault that you're unhappy working there. Don't take your frustration out on them.
2. Smile and engage your client. Especially your women clients. We go to the beauty shop to make ourselves feel better. And it is your job to make us feel like we're beautiful (even if we look like crap). That's what we're paying you for. That is the profession YOU chose, so do it and keep the personal crap away from the salon.
3. I understand that it is hard as hell to work with a bunch of women - everyone's moody at one time or another, feelings get hurt, things get said - it's just not a pleasant prospect most of the time, I'm sure. Here again, if you don't like your co-workers, go find another job. You have a skill that is very much necessary and sought after, and if you're worth your salt, you can find a job anywhere you go.
4. I understand everyone has their bad days. Maybe those are the days you need to call in "sick", because you cause more damage to this particular kind of business coming in all pissy than if you just stayed at home and rode out the storm for the day. Your clients will appreciate you staying home that day. As will everyone who has to be around you.
Okay, that's my rant for the day. I will not be going back to this particular chain for another haircut. (I had to fix the mistakes she made on Mag's hair myself - I wasn't about to take her back and ask that mad woman to fix her mistakes.)
There is a lot to be said to finding the "one" - the one hairdresser who knows you, who knows how to cut & style your hair the way you like it, and the hairdresser who makes you feel special when you sit in her chair. I have a treasure in Ticia. I've been going to her since 1993 - and I imagine I'll be going to her til the end of time. :)
Ticia, if you're reading this: THANK YOU for always being so awesome, for making me feel like someone special when I sit in your chair, and for making me feel like you truly value not only my business, but me in general. I know better than to "cheat" on you with other hairdressers. (LOL) I won't do it anymore!!
Love & Light,
Julie
Monday, March 17, 2008
Thursday, March 13, 2008
The Law of the Garbage Truck
How often do you let other people's nonsense change your mood? Do you let a bad driver, rude waiter, curt boss, or an insensitive employee ruin your day? The mark of a successful person is how quickly she can get back her focus on what's important.
Sixteen years ago I learned this lesson. I learned it in the back of a New York City taxi cab. Here's what happened. I hopped in a taxi, and we took off for Grand Central Station. We were driving in the right lane when, all of a sudden, a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his breaks, skidded, and missed the other car's back end by just inches! The driver of the other car, the guy who almost caused a big accident, whipped his head around and he started yelling bad words at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was friendly. So, I said, "Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!" And this is when my taxi driver told me what I now call, "The Law of the Garbage Truck."
"Many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it. And if you let them, they'll dump it on you. When someone wants to dump on you, don't take it personally. You just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. You'll be happy you did.So this was it: The "Law of the Garbage Truck."
I started thinking, how often do I let Garbage Trucks run right over me? And how often do I take their garbage and spread it to other people: at work, at home, on the streets? It was that day I said, "I'm not going to do it anymore." I began to see garbage trucks. Like in the movie "The Sixth Sense," the little boy said, "I see Dead People." Well, now "I see Garbage Trucks." I see the load they're carrying. I see them coming to drop it off. And like my Taxi Driver, I don't make it a personal thing; I just smile, wave, wish them well, and I move on.
One of my favorite football players of all time, Walter Payton, did this every day on the football field. He would jump up as quickly as he hit the ground after being tackled. He never dwelled on a hit. Payton was ready to make the next play his best. Good leaders know they have to be ready for their next meeting. Good parents know that they have to welcome their children home from school with hugs and kisses. Leaders and parents know that they have to be fully present, and at their best for the people they care about.
The bottom line is that successful people do not let Garbage Trucks take over their day.
What about you? What would happen in your life, starting today, if you let more garbage trucks pass you by? Here's my bet. You'll be happier. Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so... Love the people who treat you right. Forget about the ones who don't. Believe that everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance, TAKE IT! If it changes your life, LET IT! Nobody said it would be easy... They just promised it would be worth it!
Sixteen years ago I learned this lesson. I learned it in the back of a New York City taxi cab. Here's what happened. I hopped in a taxi, and we took off for Grand Central Station. We were driving in the right lane when, all of a sudden, a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his breaks, skidded, and missed the other car's back end by just inches! The driver of the other car, the guy who almost caused a big accident, whipped his head around and he started yelling bad words at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was friendly. So, I said, "Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!" And this is when my taxi driver told me what I now call, "The Law of the Garbage Truck."
"Many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it. And if you let them, they'll dump it on you. When someone wants to dump on you, don't take it personally. You just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. You'll be happy you did.So this was it: The "Law of the Garbage Truck."
I started thinking, how often do I let Garbage Trucks run right over me? And how often do I take their garbage and spread it to other people: at work, at home, on the streets? It was that day I said, "I'm not going to do it anymore." I began to see garbage trucks. Like in the movie "The Sixth Sense," the little boy said, "I see Dead People." Well, now "I see Garbage Trucks." I see the load they're carrying. I see them coming to drop it off. And like my Taxi Driver, I don't make it a personal thing; I just smile, wave, wish them well, and I move on.
One of my favorite football players of all time, Walter Payton, did this every day on the football field. He would jump up as quickly as he hit the ground after being tackled. He never dwelled on a hit. Payton was ready to make the next play his best. Good leaders know they have to be ready for their next meeting. Good parents know that they have to welcome their children home from school with hugs and kisses. Leaders and parents know that they have to be fully present, and at their best for the people they care about.
The bottom line is that successful people do not let Garbage Trucks take over their day.
What about you? What would happen in your life, starting today, if you let more garbage trucks pass you by? Here's my bet. You'll be happier. Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so... Love the people who treat you right. Forget about the ones who don't. Believe that everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance, TAKE IT! If it changes your life, LET IT! Nobody said it would be easy... They just promised it would be worth it!
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
My First Blog in Ages
Hello Everyone - This is my first blog on this site and my first blog in AGES. I got a little carried away with my old blog, and made it my place to unload all the crap in my head. Well, I'm going to do my best to make sure this doesn't become that.
I am working on getting myself healthy this year. I have finally given up cigarettes. I've been "clean" since January 18, 2008, and I feel SO much better just from doing that. Now I've got to work on dropping a 1/2 a ton of excess weight. This is the hardest thing I've ever had to deal with, I do believe. But I am taking a proactive stance in the matter this time and doing my best to focus more on getting healthy rather than the numbers on my scale. I have been a slave to those numbers for YEARS, and I'm just done with that. When my clothes start fitting again, then I'll know I have reached my goal. And then I'll move on to the next goal.
You can tell Spring is fast approaching here in Northwest Florida. There is a fine sheen of yellow pollen dusting EVERYTHING outside. We're all fighting the sneezies around here, but this too shall pass - when the pollen does.
Mag is getting ready to be done with 2nd grade. My goodness, how time has flown. She'll be 8 on the 28th of this month. Seems just yesterday, she was a tiny little squalling ball of fury, and now, well, she makes me feel inadequate intellectually sometimes. She's a smart little turkey. But she's still Mama's sweetheart. How I ended up with a child as compassionate as she is, I'll never know.
We were watching a show called, "Growing up Wolf" on Discovery yesterday, and when they talked about some of the adult wolves killing some of the pups, she freaked out. She said, "Mom, I just don't understand... how can that be? How can a mom kill her own child?" And there were these huge tears rolling down her cheeks. This fact of nature truly bothered her.
I did my best to explain that sometimes the babies are sickly and the parents eat the babies because of a variety of possible birth defects, and then went on to tell her about how "only the strong survive in the wild", and well.... let's just say that my explanation was totally inadequate to her way of thinking, and she thought that was the most horrific thing for an animal parent to do to its' own babies.
Do you ever wonder what your impact is on your child(ren)? I can only hope I'm instilling some good things in Mags. I hope she learns honesty from me, and to be forthright, and to be kind. I hope she gets her dad's hard work ethics, his friendliness, and his long legs. And I hope all the good things our parents taught us will spill over to her. I want only the best for her.
Okay, I'm signing off for now. Don't know how often I'll do this. I'm not as "profound" or talented as my friend Jiggy-E or my brother-in-law, L-Quad. They are masters at this blogging stuff. And they're both really interesting folks. Me, I'm just plain ol' Julie. I don't ride roller coasters, I like real butter, and I HATE exercise. That pretty much sums me up. But, anyway, welcome to my blogspot.
I look forward to seeing what this develops into.
Blessed be!
Sis-In-Law
I am working on getting myself healthy this year. I have finally given up cigarettes. I've been "clean" since January 18, 2008, and I feel SO much better just from doing that. Now I've got to work on dropping a 1/2 a ton of excess weight. This is the hardest thing I've ever had to deal with, I do believe. But I am taking a proactive stance in the matter this time and doing my best to focus more on getting healthy rather than the numbers on my scale. I have been a slave to those numbers for YEARS, and I'm just done with that. When my clothes start fitting again, then I'll know I have reached my goal. And then I'll move on to the next goal.
You can tell Spring is fast approaching here in Northwest Florida. There is a fine sheen of yellow pollen dusting EVERYTHING outside. We're all fighting the sneezies around here, but this too shall pass - when the pollen does.
Mag is getting ready to be done with 2nd grade. My goodness, how time has flown. She'll be 8 on the 28th of this month. Seems just yesterday, she was a tiny little squalling ball of fury, and now, well, she makes me feel inadequate intellectually sometimes. She's a smart little turkey. But she's still Mama's sweetheart. How I ended up with a child as compassionate as she is, I'll never know.
We were watching a show called, "Growing up Wolf" on Discovery yesterday, and when they talked about some of the adult wolves killing some of the pups, she freaked out. She said, "Mom, I just don't understand... how can that be? How can a mom kill her own child?" And there were these huge tears rolling down her cheeks. This fact of nature truly bothered her.
I did my best to explain that sometimes the babies are sickly and the parents eat the babies because of a variety of possible birth defects, and then went on to tell her about how "only the strong survive in the wild", and well.... let's just say that my explanation was totally inadequate to her way of thinking, and she thought that was the most horrific thing for an animal parent to do to its' own babies.
Do you ever wonder what your impact is on your child(ren)? I can only hope I'm instilling some good things in Mags. I hope she learns honesty from me, and to be forthright, and to be kind. I hope she gets her dad's hard work ethics, his friendliness, and his long legs. And I hope all the good things our parents taught us will spill over to her. I want only the best for her.
Okay, I'm signing off for now. Don't know how often I'll do this. I'm not as "profound" or talented as my friend Jiggy-E or my brother-in-law, L-Quad. They are masters at this blogging stuff. And they're both really interesting folks. Me, I'm just plain ol' Julie. I don't ride roller coasters, I like real butter, and I HATE exercise. That pretty much sums me up. But, anyway, welcome to my blogspot.
I look forward to seeing what this develops into.
Blessed be!
Sis-In-Law
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
