Keeping It in Stitches Yes, It’s a Big Hairy Deal
By Diane K Clow Sewist and Long Arm Quilter Eversew Quilted
There are many important people in each of our lives. Our family, friends, co-workers, clients, and neighbors. Then there are those who take care of us. Our doctors, dentists, chiropractors, and our pets’ veterinarians. Securing our personal and material safety are law enforcement, firefighters, insurance agents, bankers, and accountants. If you think about it, there are probably large numbers that make our lives a better place. But there is one that stands alone: our hairdresser. More than 25 years ago, I was sporting a super curly “Fro” that was permed into my hair so all I had to do was wash, dry and fluff out with a “pick”. Prior to this, I had that long, hair-to-mybackside, parted in the middle, 70s look hair that you could easily hide behind like a curtain. The “Fro” allowed similar privacy as it puffed around my head like a dandelion gone to seed. In this look, I met Her. My hairdresser. It was 1992, and we were attending a little league baseball game where both of our sons were playing. She approached me and asked what I did with my hair. I told her about the perm and pick. She responded that it kind of looked over-processed (her word was “burnt”) and basically not very healthy (her words were “like crap”). We’ve had a client-hairdresser relationship ever since. While She makes sure my hair color is “natural” (meaning, without gray) and my naturally
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curly hair is conditioned and soft without any chemical kinking, She is so much more. She has been an amazing listening ear through good times and bad. Over the years, we’ve exchanged recipes, child care advice, natural health treatment options, and, okay, maybe a few husband stories. Together we’ve survived our children’s high school graduations, their weddings, and our becoming grandmas. She has been forgiving when I forgot my appointment and would have given me a makeup date even if I hadn’t plied her with coffee and baked goods. She makes sure I don’t walk out without my hair product purchases, as I am easily distracted and prone to do so. As a former “perm and pick,” I had no idea of hair care or the tools available for styling. She had to advise me on hair products and how to wield a curling iron. (And just how do other women seem to know how to do all this stuff? Especially before YouTube?) Periodically I ask Her if I am too old to wear my hair this length. I trust Her to be honest, as she was during our first encounter, and give it to me straight. And this, along with all the rest, is invaluable, putting Her in a league of importance all its own. Thank you, Penny, for my hair, and for Keeping Me in Stitches.