beauty – Page 2 – Site Title

The Haircut Trauma!

I finally got my haircut! Walking into the salon with a peace offering in hand, a box of chocolates for being a no show the other day, I had a smile carefully plastered on my face and was greeted with the same.

She was busy working on another client but turned and went, “Wow! Look at you! Your hair is sooo long!” with a sparkle in her eye. She has cut and styled my hair for many years now and I’m learning that she loves long hair! Everytime, I walk in that salon, I come out looking the same!

Anyway, I handed her the peace offering and a grin crossed her face.

HER: “Thank you! You shouldn’t have. Take a seat and I’ll be right with you!.”

I took my seat and out of the inner sanctum, a young guy appeared, not sure could have been a girl and said, “Follow me.” I was shown to the stylist’s chair and then asked, “Can I get you some tea?” This is normal procedure for a salon that charges an arm and a leg for a haircut. I opted for water but he/she brought me some tea as well.

Someone else walked out and ushered me to the shampoo bowl. What followed was heaven! My hair was shampooed, conditioned and massaged! Those were all the good parts. Then I was back in the chair and prepped for a haircut. The stylist appeared all smiles.

HER: “What can I do for you today? I wouldn’t take too much off, looks good as it is.”

ME: “It’s too long. I do want quite a bit taken off.”

A look crossed her face which said, “We’ll see about that!”

She made all the motions of clipping and trimming. Immediately I noticed that not much was being cut off. Then started the small talk. This is done to distract you! She fluffed, she measured and she trimmed, not cut, but trimmed. Then she handed me the mirror and said, “Looks lovely. Long hair suits you!”

It looked the same as when I walked in! Seeing the look of dismay on my face, she said quickly, “Let’s dry it.”

I squeaked, “It looks the same.” You’ve got to understand that in Europe, hairstylists are like Gods over here, just like the doctors and such! They know best. So, she proceeded to dry and kept saying, “It’s going to look good.” I think she was trying to convince herself more than anyone else.

The finished product looked a tad better but I still looked like I was all hair and very little else! I wanted to say, take it off another 3 inches! Instead, I walked out of there sans an arm and a leg and very little to show for it.

This morning I washed out all the stuff they put on there as part of the haircut experience. Lo and behold, the truth was staring me in the face. I was still “all hair” but it was shaped a little better and instead of my hair hanging long and flat, it seemed to have more life to it. However, I wanted it shorter, much shorter and the only way I was going to get that is if I did it myself!

It’s done for now. Live and let live until the next time around. Did I tell you I hate haircuts? I hate them just like the dental visits and all the things that go to make up what is needed to put your best face forward!

Have an amazing day.

A Bounty of Abundance

Photo by Elizabeth Tr. Armstrong on Pexels.com

It’s Saturday and I’ve decided to keep moving taking my cue from the proverb, “an idle mind is the devil’s playground.” I told myself to keep moving and not to let overthinking have its way. All good right? Let’s see how far I make it before my old friend, my mind, takes over and smashes it to pieces!

Morning started early. I got up at 7 a.m. and all was well. Chachi, the cat, was purring softly next to me and the world was just waking up. The birds were chirping and the pigeons were cooing for all they are worth! A little irritating but still a pleasant enough sound. The sun seemed to be peeking out after days of absence and I wondered if a walk in nature might be a good idea but nixed it because I don’t like walking on Saturdays. Too many people out and the constant exchange of pleasantries tend to be draining.

My idea for today is to clean house from top to bottom. It should keep me occupied for most of the day since I haven’t done thorough cleaning in quite a while. The dust bunnies are laughing their heads off but not for long! I’m getting the Dyson vac out and it should do a great job of getting everything nice and clean. Chachi, the cat, sans apron and Swiffer in hand, is more than ready to pitch in and give me some help. However, he thinks it is playtime more than anything else. First thing, strip the bed. Then the pillowcases and Chachi’s blankets. The little helper was more than happy. He ran across the bed as if it was some kind of a raucous game. It took about 20 minutes simply because the little rascal was getting in the way and enjoying himself in the process. I got the wash going and decided to head out to the garden to see what’s happening there. It has been days since I’ve been in the garden and I didn’t expect much except an onslaught of weeds!

The surprise was on me. The apple tree was bogged down with plenty of apples! This one lone apple tree in the garden has a mind of its own. Last year, there were no apples to speak off. This year, it is overflowing and the apples though small are crisp and sweet. They are just turning slightly red so probably a week or so and they should be ready to come off the tree and to be given away to the neighbors. I can’t eat them all. The lone cherry tomato plant has some ripe tomatoes on it. Last year, I planted one tomato plant and got a monster harvest so I went with one cherry tomato plant this year hoping that it will be just enough for salads and stir-fries. Looks like it is working. Next to it, the chili plant is doing well. It has four green chilies and the card on it reads, “Hot Chilies.” Keeping fingers crossed that they are. Rounding the corner, I see that the cherry tree is done for this year. I got three cherries although it had an abundance of flowers this year. Where did the cherries go? Your guess is as good as mine. Perhaps, next year. The fig tree standing next to it is trying to overdo everything else in the garden. It is lusciously green and full of figs! Last year, the figs took a long time getting ripe and I had to discard most of them because the weather had turned and they couldn’t finish their ripening process. This year, it looks like they are going to make it in time and in a week or two, I should have plenty of ripe figs to give away and to enjoy.

It looks like a bounty of abundance and I am grateful. The sky above is beautifully clear heralding a gorgeous day, not too hot and just right. The birds are picking up their singing drowning out the pigeons and the air, well, it is fresh washed clean by the rain and ready to meet another day. Inside, I hear the beeping of the washing machine telling me to put the load in the dryer. It’s going to be a beautiful day and I’m going to try and make it a great one.

Have an amazing day.

A Gorgeous Morning

I made it early to the fields this morning and the sun was already high up in the sky after hiding for several days. We’ve had rain, wind, and more rain. I decided to take advantage of the nice weather before everybody else had the same idea. Unfortunately, there were people already there with the same idea in mind!

The fields were like they used to be but only this time it looked a little untidy. What happened to the regimented way of caring for nature? The farmers around here keep it in tip-top form but it seems like they’ve let go for a little while. The Rapeseed plants are still there reaching to the skies, no longer pretty but dull and brown. The pathway I was on was narrow and on both sides the plants stood unrelenting and covering my view. A feeling of claustrophobia knocked at my door but I took a deep breath and kept on walking. I needed to be outside today and I needed nature to do its thing of calming me.

I was told to watch out for deer among the plants. It seems they sit crouched within the plants with only their brown backs showing. “Be careful,” was the message because they do jump out at times and if you’re in the way, well you know. So I kept my eyes peeled but nothing seemed to spell trouble. It was quiet out and the air was crisp and fresh, the way I like it. I decided to go by the forest way just for a change and although it is not my favorite route, I decided that the quiet and calm would do me good. It did. There was something soothing about the birds chirping in the trees and a lone Woody Woodpecker knocking at some tree trunk. I couldn’t see it but it was there and although it was loud, I took it in stride. Anything to keep my mind from thinking!

Then I saw it, a lone blue Heron standing all by itself in the middle of the field like a lone sentinel keeping watch. A sign of a good omen? Certain cultures swear that a heron sighting brings good luck. Fingers crossed! As I passed it, I sensed it watching me but it made no move to leave and I left it there to enjoy the morning as I was doing. Walks in nature are a great way to refresh the soul, to put a different perspective on things and to calm an agitated mind. It was doing all that this morning and then I noticed the dark clouds in the distance. I guess we’re not over the rain yet. Oh well, it’s time for another cup of coffee and to be thankful for all that I have especially the gorgeous fields that give me so much pleasure and peace.

Have an amazing day.

A Smile a Day

You’ve heard the saying, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away?” Well, giving out smiles does that and more. A smile is an universal language that everyone understands. Furthermore, it helps to boost your mood, reduces stress and improves physical health because it releases endorphins, the good kind, that helps to enhance your mood and hype up the happiness factor. If it does all that for you, just imagine what it does for the person on the receiving end of that smile! You, my friend, can brighten up someone’s day just by turning on that smile so let’s look at some quotes that will help us do just that.

“Because of your smile, you make life more beautiful.” Thich Nhat Hanh

“It seems to me what we call beauty in a face lies in the smile.” Leo Tolstoy

I totally agree.

“The smile is the best accessory a person can wear.” Unknown

“Everyone smiles in the same language.” George Carlin

“Nothing you wear is more important than your smile.” Connie Stevens

“There are hundreds of languages in the world, but a smile speaks them all.” Unknown

Perfectly said!

“Sometimes it’s better to just remain Silent and Smile.” Unknown

“Keep smiling….and one day life will get tired of upsetting you.” Unknown

Hmm…fingers and toes crossed and I’m smiling for all I’m worth!

I love this last one.

“Smile! Happy looks good on you.”

I think it looks good on just about anybody. Pump up that smile, amp up that wattage and start giving smiles away!

Have an amazing day.

A Rainy Day

“Sometimes you just need to feel the rain. Let it beat upon your face, cleanse your soul and free your spirit!” Unknown

I want to dance in it like I used to as a young girl lost in a carefree world but since I’m a grown-up or rather older and wiser, I’m watching it from my kitchen window coffee mug in hand mesmerized by the steady drumming on the rooftops. It’s a soft drizzle enough to wet the ground and to give the plant life the much needed relief it needs from days of heat and no rain.

Two blackbirds are dancing out there as they move from tree to tree and they seem to be having fun. I’d love to be out there with them twirling on my toes, arms held out like some ethereal being as I let the softness of rain wash away the hardness of living. Nature has a way of taking away the rough edges that life puts around us, it has a way of mellowing and blurring, just like the day is doing out there today.

There is none of the harshness of a hot sun, the parched ground is being fed again and the soft steady drizzle of rain is doing a mighty fine job of soothing my inner being. I love rain, always have, not the ones filled with thunder and slashes of lightning but this soft variety that seems to be murmuring to my soul, washing away the cobwebs that have been gathering there the last few days and erasing and cleansing my spirit as I twirl and dance in my mind’s eye, a young girl once again lost in the magic of nature’s way.

“Rain is nature’s way of adding a little soul to life.” Unknown

Have an amazing and magical day.

RUMI (Archives)

Jalal al-Din Rumi was a 13th century poet. He was born in Afghanistan and he was a Sufi mystic whose poetry embraces themes of “overcoming fear and persevering through challenges.” He speaks of finding strength in vulnerability and to be grateful for whatever comes. I find courage and beauty in his words and it touches my soul AND his words are one of great wisdom.

“Stop acting so small. You are the universe in ecstatic motion.”

I do act small when first faced with adversity but it is only a matter of time before I rise again knowing that I can deal with this too.

“I want to sing like the birds sing, not worrying about who hears or what they think.”

This one speaks to who I am, I am one with nature and I find freedom with the animals and the bird life and often I want to sing like I used to as a young child not caring who listens or who is watching. I do that with my writing too.

“If everything around you seems dark, look again, you may be the LIGHT.”

Simply beautiful and when darkness surrounds seeing the light in you doesn’t seem like a bad thing to me.

“The wound is the place where the light enters you.”

This one tugged at my heart when I first saw it. My first thought, I don’t feel the light but he is speaking of another kind of light, the kind that teaches and heals.

“The moment you accept what troubles you’ve been given, the door will open.”

Moving on requires acceptance and that is precisely the point here. Done that many times over.

“When you go through a hard period, when everything seems to oppose you, when you feel you cannot even bear one more minute, NEVER GIVE UP! Because it is the time and place that the course will divert!”

I guess you have to hit ground zero before life turns around. Can we make it a little easier please?

“Don’t grieve. Anything you lose comes round in another form.”

This one makes grieving a little less painful, at least it did for me.

“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today, I am wise, so I am changing myself.”

This last one is so poetic. Yes I wanted to change the world, I still do but nowadays it is more about changing “me” first.

Have an amazing day.

Morgan Harper Nichols

Morgan Harper Nichols was born in Hamilton, New Zealand. She is an American Christian musician, songwriter and poet. Her quotes, however, are poignant and it is about finding beauty in the ordinary, embracing imperfection and growth tinged with resilience and hope. Here is a sampling of her brilliant work. Her words speak to the heart and has the ability to light up your day. Enjoy.

“and perhaps what made her beautiful was not her appearance or what she achieved, but in her love and in her courage, and her audacity to believe: no matter the darkness around her, light ran wild within her, and that was the way she came alive, and it showed up in everything.”

“And if everything does not fall into place at the same time and pace, that does not mean that the years you’ve waited have somehow been a waste. Keep planting, sowing, living, and knowing that beautiful things take time, and that’s okay.”

“Take photographs of everything. You never know how long these moments will be here. Things are going to change.”

“Even in the moments when you feel directionless, you can still find the courage to take another step.”

“Words matter so speak kind words to yourself.”

“Perhaps, even here, I am growing. When the days are long, and I do not feel as strong, and when the hours go by slower than they ever have before, and the sun is shining, and I am lost indoor, perhaps even here, I am growing.”

“Never let anyone who cannot bear your pain make you feel you are unbearable.”

“Tell the story of the mountains you’ve climbed. Your words could become a part of someone else’s survival guide.”

AND

“When you start to feel like things should have been better this year, remember the mountain and valleys that got you here.”

Have an amazing day.

My Sacred Place

It has been almost two weeks since I set foot in my sacred space. My daily walks in nature had come to a screeching halt. The rains along with the gusty winds had moved in and walking was the last thing on my mind.

However, I had missed my forays in nature and today that want was back in full force. I needed the freedom of being out in nature. This feeling of being caged in had to go so I found myself back on the familiar pathway again. It somehow felt different. The rapeseed plants were still there and they had grown a lot taller blocking visibility in every direction. The golden blooms were no longer there and now the plants stood swaying and dancing with the wind. I could feel claustrophobia taking hold. I wasn’t liking this one little bit.

The farmers around here are well-regimented and they’ve got crop-rotation down to a science but for some reason, they’ve let the plant life get out of control this time around. Could it be the rain? Whatever it was, I kept to the graveled pathway and decided to cut my walk short, unrest seeping in. I like open spaces but today I felt fenced in. I don’t know why and that bugged me to no end.

Making my way back I notice that the sun is slowly making a showing but the winds are still in full force. It’s as if nature can’t make up its mind but I know that this too shall pass and summer will come traipsing back in. I just hope that the farmers will get back to work making the fields visible so that my soul can fly again.

Have an amazing day.

A Rainy Day

Photo by MAKSIM ZAVIKTORIN on Pexels.com

I woke up to the sounds of rain not pitter-pattering outside but coming down in a steady deluge. Cuddled up under the covers with Chachi, the cat, the sound was soothing.

It looks like the rain has moved in and it is planning to stay for awhile. The ground has been parched for lack of water in recent weeks so this intermittent rain is much sought after not only by the plant life but by the farmers as well. I, on the other hand, have a soft spot for rain. I don’t like the kind that is accompanied by thunder and lightning but this soft and steady variety is just my cup of tea or coffee for that matter.

Standing at the big window in the kitchen, coffee cup in hand and Chachi right by my side, I notice that the wind is picking up and it is going to be a wet and blustery day.

Chachi goes: “The TV is acting up Mommy!”

He’s right. There is none of the usual calmness with birds singing in the trees. The sky is grey and the bamboo fronds in the neighbor’s garden is doing a slow dance moving in symphony to the rhythm of the rain. There is beauty in the movement and as I let my gaze take in the scene before me, I realize that nature in all its wisdom has a way of accommodating everything that comes its way. There is much we can learn from it just by standing still and observing. It’s a hard thing to do I know because life sometimes moves at a faster pace than we want it to.

I know Chachi, the cat, will adjust to the erratic movements going on outside the window and I will up my workout routine today and add Tai Chi to match what is happening outside. It’s a day that calls for lots of coffee and perhaps a slice or two of cheesecake! It’s going to be a beautiful day and I wish you the same.

“The beauty of rain, it’s like a symphony from the sky. Pounding drums on my roof, serenades on my windows. An angelic ballet of raindrops dancing around in my garden. A spectacle I could witness for the rest of my days.” N.C.

Have an amazing day.

Stalks of Gold

It was an early morning walk. The days are getting warmer and walking later in the mornings is getting uncomfortable. I am not a fan of hot weather so a friend suggested I should try walking when the dewdrops are still on the ground. I took his advice.

The fields looked different as I approached it today. They were wearing a gleeful look, the rapeseed plants were in full bloom and mesmerizing fields of gold greeted my eyes as I stepped onto familiar ground. I was dwarfed by the long stalks of gold on both sides as I took my steps feeling a little out of place somehow. Since I have a mild case of claustrophobia, the uneasiness grew as I ventured further in. Suddenly I decided to cut it short as my mind started playing havoc and started coming up with horror scenarios! It was doing one better than Stephen King but only this time instead of cornfields I was caught in a maze of gold!

It was time to make my way home, however, there was no denying the beauty surrounding me. The bright yellow showcased against a bright blue sky was gorgeous and picture postcard perfect but the quiet was all-consuming. Something was off but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Perhaps, I’ve been watching too many horror movies, the kind where nature hides the paranormal!

Time to head back, sit down to a nice hot cup of coffee and meditate to quiet the uneasiness running through me. Intuition is a good thing and it only has your best interest at heart so pay attention when it screams danger or as in my case, it could have just been my overactive mind doing hoops to get attention!. It did.

Have an amazing day.