Unbinding My Heart…..Unbinding My Business

I have been asked by a few people for the backdrop of the story for the event “A Day Off” being held at Grassroots a salon.  This has become a difficult task as I was pondering what I think people would want to hear me say.  Yes, I could say your typical business stuff that it helps build a stronger, healthier community or that clients like heart-felt stories and it could bring in new clientele. But this event has grown from somewhere much deeper than that.  I remember in Beauty School learning business etiquette and the golden rule, “Never discuss politics or religion.”  I had to make the chose.  Is it okay for me to unbind my heart now?  Is it acceptable to faith share?

My journey truly starts around 6 years ago.  It was at the time of my life after having children, being in situations where you meeting new parents and where the one rising question that was always asked, “What do you do for a living?”  I always felt myself hesitant to say, “I am a hairdresser”.  There suddenly became this desire to seek my “call” in life, my purpose.  It also became a task to get to the bottom of my fears of death, dying, and self forgiveness.  I felt if I could conquer these fears, I would be gifted the ultimate prize of some life altering experience, to help build this amazing legacy.  Anyone who know me once I get an idea in my head there is no stopping.

I stumbled upon a 3 year class for “Spiritual Awakening for Global Transformation”.  With a title like that I was sure to gain all of the answers.  After 3 years I came to the conclusion, I love who I am, I love being a hairdresser and most of all I love God and he loves me.

Starting to live my life from a place of inner-knowing I could see Grassroots a salon take on a new form.  The independent hair artist who work there all come from different religious backgrounds: Catholic, Lutheran, non-denominational, Buddist and I think even a sprinkle of Hindu in there.  We still find it within our hearts to find a common ground and to work on a level for the goodness of all.  We are ONE!  There was a realization that the stylist chair was now a sacred throne, a place where clients shined, a free-will offering of sharing of ideas, thoughts, special events in ones lives, joys, concerns and sadness.  It was an area of confidentiality and place to unleash, unbind.  I can see all of us reaching deeper levels of conversation that what would have not been originally accepted in a business environment.  It is a gift to have the license “To Touch”.  I believe in this profession working on so many different people, you start to build and gain an inner intuition of others energies and almost a 6th sense of the person you are working on.  So together we embarked on donating our hair services for local organizations such as Harbor House, Salvation Army and various fundraising events throughout our community.  All of these still remained in our comfort levels.

Later on in my journey things started to hit closer to home.  One of my clients, who had recently retired, decided it would be fun to work at Grassroots as a part-time receptionist.  Shortly after, she was diagnosed with cancer. As she began to loose hair,  I had offered to cut her hair at her daughter’s house.  Both of her daughter’s lived only a block away from my house in the neighborhood that we had recently moved to.  I remember being scared, wondering if I would have the strength to go through with it.  Unlike our other events this one seemed to be a little out of my comfort zone. Would I end up crying?  Falling apart? How would it make her feel if I did?  Once she sat on the kitchen chair, the salon chair, the magical throne, it felt like home to me.  Once I began doing the craft of hairdressing, the gift given to me, we began to unbind.  We laughed, cried and shared stories.  Just as if a typical day at the salon.  I felt honored to be a part of her journey.  During our time together I began to get to know her daughter’s very well.  I found out later their were also members of my congregation, imagine that.  Little did I know that they were my angels in disguise.  The day their mother passed away was the same day my mom was given her official diagnosis and treatment plan for her pancreatic cancer.  Who would have thought that right after loosing their mother they would find the strength to guide me on the journey with mine.

Fifteen months later, I find myself in a similar situation.  Another kitchen haircut.  This time it is on a back patio, the weather is hot and the sun is shining bright.  Sitting in the chair is the person I love so dearly, the one who will leave us in the next few weeks to come, my MOM!  It will be her final haircut.  I remember giving her the scalp massage prior to her haircut.  I remember feeling her, I mean really feeling her.. Her sense of all of her being.  Her energy, strength, the beauty of this great wonderful women before me.  I took it all in, her smell, the sound of her voice, the sound of her laughter.  Once I began cutting the magic started.  We had wonderful conversations, ones that no longer had to be from a daughter who was losing her mom, women to women.  Fond memories, stories.  Her sitting in that chair, me doing what I love, granted me the strength and comfort to ask her the question I have been longing to ask her, “Mom there is a huge part of me that feels like I am already losing you.”  Her statement, “I know I feel it to. I know that you guys are sad to see me go, but I know in my heart you will be okay. I am so very proud of all of my girls and I love you dearly.  I have a hard time describing what I feel in words for you to fully understand.  It is like human nature, some godly force takes over you and you are ready.  I am sorry, but I am excited to go!.”  She also found strength that day and comfort in that last haircut. She even put a little makeup on, changed her shirt and sat in the sun surrounded by all of her family members who later joined us that day.  We captured that day by taking pictures of all of us kissing her goodbye.

There has been so many gifts given to me while on the journey with my mom and her cancer.  So many signs of her faith.  Constant reminders of even though you may be going through a lot, where it is easy to focus on yourself, someone else is going through even more.  Always remember to put others in your thoughts and/or prayers.  While your a still living, live to the fullest.  Her purchase of a new scooter during her cancer, learning to ride, the wind blowing through her short hair was a true testament of that.  When it was her time to go, there was no mention of what a great insurance agent she was, her financial status, the materialistic things she had collected along the way.  None of that.  Instead there were stories of the times she unbind, opened her heart to others.  Her loving kindness. Her faith. Her inner-knowing. That is her legacy.

So what is “The Day Off” Events backstory?  It is a representation of all the gifts I have been given.  The support given to me from my church family, Grassroots Family (including fellow stylists and clients of the salon), the community, and from all of YOU.

This event was created by a spur of the moment idea.  One day over coffee and scones, the two daughter’s mentioned earlier, helped me gather my ideas, brainstorm and get them down on paper.  Without any commitment to see if I would have any help from other stylist, I started this event blindly.  Kind of how your faith is, inner knowing, higher power is lead, Blindly.  You just feel it, trust in it, go with it. It didn’t take long for the other independent stylist of Grassroots and a stylist, Ashley from Agea Spa, to donate their time and service and to completely fill my chairs. It has continually to grow organically as more business and personal donations have been given.  I wonder as our economy continually is changing, maybe this is the time for people to unbind their hearts and unbind their business by putting their hearts back into it.  Nothing can come bad out of something, when things are lead from the heart, with love. This is the Grassroots way of paying it forward.

Through emails and phone calls we have began to feel personally connected to all of the beautiful people who are participants in the “The Day Off Event” and are looking forward to meeting you.  It is never to late or to soon to let someone you care about know that you are thinking of them:

Be Bold.

Be Free.

Be Beautiful.

Believe.

Be Love.

Be True to YOU.

As far and wide…

Remember there is someone who is thinking of YOU…

We are all thinking of YOU…

-David Newman

Love,  Grassroots a salon

To support, follow, or join our “A Day Off” Event being held at Grassroots a salon, check out our event page “A Day Off” on Facebook.