Salon Day

A local salon donated employees, time, and hair color to mother/child duos today.

My daughter wanted pink highlights. I wanted her to have some natural highlights. She got both. And a trim. She sat through the two-hour appointment as if it is something she does all of the time. Part of the time, she and I were in separate rooms. She was a pro today. And now she looks like a rock star! ;) A local TV station came to cover the event for the evening news.

My experience was interesting.

The young lady who shampooed and rinsed my hair took the time to massage my scalp while my head was back in the sink. I blinked back tears because it felt so good. I realized that I am tense and intense and on alert for my daughter in such a way that I don't relax much. I'm still doing too much for her. As much as responsibility for herself as I think I've given to her, I realized today that I have more to hand over to her.

Self-awareness. A good thing.

As for me, I wanted something to lighten (darken, really) my gray, to disguise some of it. I really don't want the upkeep of coloring it, and I have a LOT. I walked out of the salon my original natural color, zero gray, the color I was before all of the free stress highlights, and as I looked in the mirror, I saw a glimpse of the person I was many years ago, the one before autism, before kids. I didn't expect that. I miss that person. The unexpected emotion caught me off guard.

Self-awareness. A good thing. Now, I have work to do.